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Can't find Spotify's "Radio" option on Sonos....

Can't find Spotify's "Radio" option on Sonos....

Is this a known shortcoming of the Sonos implementation of Spotify? Seems a big loss to me.....   Any plans to upgrade the Sonos app?

 

David B.

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49 Replies

It's Sonos you probably need to bug about this as they wrote the integration just using the Spotify APIs. Of course there may not be an API available for the radio function, in which case it would be Spotify you'd need to ask first, then Sonos
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Listening on Windows, Android and Sonos. Tweeting it at @davelicence

I just signed up for a Spotify premium subscription to use the service with my Sonos.  Unfortunately, way too many of Spotify's features (e.g. Radio) are unavailable through the Sonos.

 

Just canceled my subscription.

While it's Sonos that apparently is responsible for the Sonos-Spotify integration, the only reason I subscibed to Spotify premium was to obtain access to Spotify's features via Sonos.     I'm not alone.   It's clear that Spotify has a vested interest in having Sonos access all the features, so it seems to be a misguided copout to say it's up to Sonos to fix this.   If there's no change soon I will just cancel Spotify premium (and continue to enjoy Spotify radio free on my mobile.   js

I agree, no Spotify radio on my Sonos and I will be cancelling my new premium account.

Just make sure you take any opportunity you are given when you cancel to give the exact reason - the more people do the more likely they'll implement something 🙂

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Listening on Windows, Android and Sonos. Tweeting it at @davelicence

Just cancelled and put "No Radio Functionality with Sonos" as the reason. Pandora it seems for me!

Just got an Onkyo AV receiver and same problem - no spotify radio.

 

I'm outside the US so no Pandora avaliable. 

 

Spotify need to update their API to add radio support - this is a feature that fits perfectly with "radio" devices like Sonos etc where searching for artists, albums etc is not easy and so having a single click "Start Spotify Radio" is ideal...

Hi all

It seems sure to me that Spotify needs to do something and extend there API for Sonos being able to offer Spotify Radio functionality on their system. I recently tried Simfy, which also integrates with Sonos and their Artists Radio functionality works great and prove me wrong but they just offer an better API than Spotify does. I'm thinking about moving away from Spotify to Simfy, at least until Spotify "upgrades" their API.

Regards
Martin

I am totally confused.  I am a brand new subscriber and signed up from premium service just so I could use the radio service with Sonos.  Is this correct that it cannot be used.  Then i too will cancel and use Pandora.

 

Correct, I cancelled and went to Pandora. Spotify makes you pay the $10 a month to access Spotify's library on your Sonos devices, but radio is just simply not built in yet.

 

Spotify wants me to pay them monthly, they need to submit the feature to Sonos.

 

Plain and simple.

I was okay with paying the $10 a month, but need the radio service, so I agree )and I am right behind you so don't shut the door to quickly till I am out too.)  Does Pandora work as well?  it seems like spotify had more features like the ability to create play lists from thier vast music library.  I don't see that on Pandora?  

Correct, you can only listen to radio with Pandora, not actually choose what music you want exactly. To be honest, I have not gotten rid of Spotify entirely. I still use it on the computer.

 

For me, most of my Sonos listening is in radio mode. In the shower, cooking in the kitchen, doing chores, etc.. Sure you could sit on your computer and create playlists in Spotify, but if I'm going to go do that I might as well just download the songs myself in iTunes and put them in a playlist on my Sonos system that I spent several grand on.

 

Spotify on the computer I use the crap out of though to listen to stand-up and to listen to new music. But I don't need to pay $10 a month for that just to use it on my Sonos system. If I like something enough to put it in a playlist, I'd rather just have it for keeps.

 

Your milage may vary of course. Everyone is different.

Add Logitech's UE Smart Radio platform to the list.... No Radio 😞

+1 on the importance of being able to play spotify radio through sonos. I pay the $10 a month for spotify premium, and implementing this feature would ensure I don't drop down to normal spotify. And it'd definitely lead me to drop pandora. 

Adding my voice to the group....happy to pay for premium services from Spotify, love the desktop version & the apps, but more and more of my listening is via my SONOS system now and it is just way too clunky to be worth it without some kind of access to curation (radio, apps, friends, etc).  

 

Does anyone know - is the problem access to the APIs (i.e Spotify restriction) or laziness by Sonos to implement what is available?

 

Seriously considering a downgrade & changing services.

Facing the same problem of not being able to use the Spotify ‘Radio’ function :-(( in combination with Sonos, and seeing this as a reason to cancel the Spotify subscription I checked with Spotify Customer Support. 

Here below their reply:

 

"Hi Roland,

 

The Spotify app for Sonos was developed by Sonos themselves so we're not responsible for the features (good or bad!). We're hopeful a radio function will be introduced in the near future.

 

If this means you'll be cancelling your subscription we'll be sorry to see you go. 😞

 Adam Watts

 

Spotify Customer Services

Cambridge"

Yes, very disappointing.

 

I can't believe Sonos decided against implementing the Radio feature if it was available in the api, they've essentially got the same thing with Napster's "Channels" available in the Sonos controller.

 

Either Spotify haven't made it available or Napster have paid Sonos a chunk of cash to ensure it's not implemented.

 

If it was an api restriction then maybe Spotify can make use of some of the $100m recently raised on a $4billion valuation.

 

 

I cannot see any spotify radio services per-se in the API, however I learnt from the Sonos forums (full of equally disappointed Sonos owners  with Spotify contracts) that Spotify use http://the.echonest.com/customers/ for their radio services.  Perhaps there is a restriction of providing access to this service in the terms of echonest?

 

That said, http://spoton-radio.com managed to sort out a radio service for spotify that is independant of the Spotify client (for iOS in this case) by also using Echonest, so Sonos could, I imagine, do the same if they had the desire.....

I have following a similar thread on the Sonos community boards and had little response from them despite numerous replies.

 

After a small campaign on Twitter we got a response and it is still under consideration.

 

 However, while on the Sonos threads there is a lot of threat to walk away from Sonos I dont think that will be the case - Sonos have a great product and it wont be them that I walk away from.  I have invest ed£100's in Sonos and £10 per month for Spotify, I can get exactly the same content plus Radio functionaility from Deezer so why will I get rid of Sonos.

 

Spotify will be losing customers very soon and therefore while it may require SOnos to do the integration, SPotify need to be working in partnership with them to provide a music streaming service that will survive the competition.  

 

Perhaps the only way to get Spotify to respond is to start a similar campaign on Twitter....

 

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