Deezer, one of the world’s leading independent music streaming services, has announced a long-term partnership with Sonos, a maker of premium audio devices. The partnership aims to enhance Sonos Radio’s streaming service and Sonos Radio HD subscription service by offering Sonos users a comprehensive catalog of edited music. fromApril 2023and Sonos Radio users Sonos HD Radio It will benefit from Deezer’s expertise, particularly in terms of managing metadata, rights and royalties, as well as strategic collaborations for the growth and monetization of the service. The partnership will allow Deezer and Sonos to perform in 16 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, providing users with an excellent music experience. Deezer, which has a catalog of more than 90 million titleswill bring its innovative capabilities to support Sonos in evolving its music services to bring new music experiences to its customers.
The partnership is part of Deezer’s strategy for growing in major global markets, particularly the United States. The group has regularly collaborated with Sonos as a key innovation partner The first HiFi show and, most recently, by ensuring seamless integration of Deezer into the Sonos Voice Control. The Deezer experience on Sonos offers an easy-to-use interface with exclusive features like flow and its variations that allow the user to choose his music according to his mood, thanks to a recommendation system based on Amnesty International. meeting with Stefan RogotAnd Executive Vice President, Deezer.
How did this partnership with Sonos come about and what were the main reasons that prompted Deezer to partner with them for Sonos Radio?
Stefan Rogot : Deezer DNA grows with partners. This is already 10 years since Deezer is integrated into its streaming service among its partners, which includes television operators like Orange in France or TIM in Brésil, media groups like RTL in Allemagne or distribution programs like FNAC Darty in France. Sonos is one of the most recognized audio brands, which wants to offer its customers the best possible listening experience. So our alliance has been clear and this partnership opens doors for the United States.
Can you tell us more about the benefits this partnership will bring to users of Sonos Radio and Sonos Radio HD?
Starting in April 2023, Deezer will collaborate with Sonos on its existing streaming services, Sonos Radio and Sonos Radio HD. Our ambition in the coming years is to innovate together to evolve the Sonos Radio services built into Sonos equipment in order to bring new music experiences to users. They’ll take advantage of the best of Sonos and Deezer, both for the equipment and for the music service.
How do you see the future of music streaming and what are the main challenges you expect to face in this field?
For 15 years we have democratized access to music, giving access to the entire catalog for a monthly subscription of around 10€. More than 500 million people around the world enjoy the paid streaming service. We’re now focused on developing new features to bring artists closer to their fans and deliver new music experiences beyond catalog access: tickets, merchandising, and artist-fan communication. The field of possibilities is enormous. Users will benefit from a more complete and personalized experience, artists will be able to communicate more closely and personally with their fans, and this will generally create value for the entire industry.
How does Deezer intend to use this partnership to develop in international markets, particularly in the US?
Our strategy is clear: focus on a few key markets, enter them through B2B partnerships, and thus grow to reach profitability in 2025. This partnership with Sonos marks our entry into the US market, validates our growth strategy and bodes well for other promising partnerships. For our partners, music increases the commitment and loyalty of their customers, and it also enhances their innovation and brand image. It’s a highly relevant value proposition for multiple areas, and our partnership with Sonos is a perfect example of that.
Finally, how does Deezer plan to continue to differentiate itself in an increasingly competitive market?
Deezer is one of the top five global music streaming platforms, but we’re the only ones that focus exclusively on music. The excellence of our products and all of our innovation is dedicated to creating new features for the best possible music experience. Moreover, we have a very close relationship with the labels, which allows us to imagine new services for the benefit of artists and users. The music industry has regained growth in recent years thanks to the proliferation of streaming. Now is the time to imagine new services, to create more value, and Deezer is at the heart of this new phase of the industry’s evolution.
