Sonos to Issue Limited-Edition Version of Play:1 Speaker in Offer With Blue Note Records

Sonos launched its first limited-edition speaker in a partnership with Blue Note Records and is looking to form similar deals with companies that “share our passion for collaboration, design and a great music experience,” company spokesman Eric Nielsen told us Wednesday. The Sonos Play:1 Blue Note Limited Edition speaker ($250), carries a $50 premium over the standard Play:1 and includes an exclusive channel within TuneIn's Blue Note on Sonos radio station that will be available for a year, Sonos said. After the year, "as of now, it will just simply end," Nielsen said of the exclusive channel. The Blue Note Artist Selects channel, offering exclusive playlists, will become available to customers when they buy the limited edition speaker and will be programmed exclusively into the menu for the speaker, Nielsen said. Customers who buy the speaker also will have access to the channel via other Sonos speakers they own, he said. Two other Blue Note stations on TuneIn are available to all Sonos users. Despite the name and the color of the Blue Note speaker -- with a finish that transitions from dark navy to cerulean blue -- the speaker doesn't include Bluetooth, Nielsen said. Sonos is producing 4,100 units, which will be available while supplies last, and timing for purchases will be released in coming weeks, Sonos said.