News Archives

90 day free trial of Amazon Music HD

27/01/2020

You can get a 90 day free trial of Amazon Music HD giving access to 50 million songs in CD Quality (Amazon HD) and ‘millions’ of songs in HiRes (Amazon Ultra HD). After the 90-day period, your free trial subscription will auto-renew and you will pay the full monthly price of £14.99 (£12.99/month for Prime members) Amazon Music HD Individual Plan or £19.99 for the Amazon Music HD Family Plan with the option to cancel […]

The Smart Audio Report Winter 2019 report

Quarter of US adults own a smart speaker

26/01/2020

Quarter of US adults own a smart speaker according to a report from NPR and Edison Research which found that 60 million US adults (24% of the 18+ population) own at least one smart speaker device. The Winter 2019 Smart Audio Report confirmed continued growth in the smart speaker market with the average smart speaker household now having 2.6 devices, up from 2.3 devices per household at the same time last year. The research also […]

UK music streaming tops £1 Bn in 2019

25/01/2020

UK music streaming tops £1 Bn in 2019 recording the fifth consecutive year of growth according to data compiled by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA). The report on entertainment spending in the UK contains information on music, video and games sales for the year and can be downloaded here. Spending by UK music fans on streaming services exceeded £1 Bn for the first time in 2019 as overall expenditure on entertainment increased to another all-time-high. […]

Amazon Music hits 55 million subscribers

24/01/2020

Amazon Music hits 55 million subscribers globally with subscriptions to Amazon Music Unlimited growing by more than 50% last year alone. Amazon Music grew nearly 50% year-on-year across the US, UK, Germany, and Japan and has more than doubled in recently added countries such as France, Italy, Spain, and Mexico. In the second half of 2019, Amazon Music also launched in Brazil and introduced Amazon Music HD, its high quality audio streaming option, as well […]

Sonos back peddles on ‘legacy’ product updates

Sonos to stop updates on ‘legacy’ products

23/01/2020

Sonos is to stop updates on ‘legacy’ products starting in May 2020 with some of its oldest products no longer receiving software updates or new features. Legacy products include their original Zone Players, Connect, and Connect:Amp (launched in 2006; includes versions sold until 2015), first-generation Play:5 (launched 2009), CR200 (launched 2009), and Bridge (launched 2007). Although a common occurrence for computers and smartphones, the withdrawal of support for audio equipment is a first and reflects […]

Spotify creates playlists for pets

22/01/2020

Spotify creates playlists for pets giving pets and their owners crafted playlists for the type of pet they own and their temperament. Spotify conducted a study on how pet owners use music with their pets. They found that 71% of pet owners surveyed play music for their pets and more often than not, they think about their pets’ emotional well-being, with 70% of animal parents considering the emotional wellness of their pets daily. Plus, 8 […]

Qobuz support for Naim Audio devices

21/01/2020

Qobuz support for Naim Audio devices is now available for owners of Uniti Atom, Star and Nova systems, plus ND5 XS2, NDX 2 and ND 555 network players. The update is enabled via a free over-the-air firmware upgrade which will allow users to enjoy seamless access to Qobuz streaming services – including true high-resolution streaming up to 24-bit/192kHz quality from within the Naim control app. Updates for Naim Mu-so 2nd Generation and Naim Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation wireless speakers will follow in Spring 2020 (in […]