Sonos debuts $35-a-month service that lets businesses manage smart speakers

Sonos Inc., seeking new sources of recurring revenue, is launching a “Pro” service that allows businesses like coffee shops, retail stores and gyms to remotely manage groups of smart speakers.

A new web-based dashboard will let businesses choose which streaming services they want to play and even particular songs, Sonos said on Tuesday. They can schedule when particular tunes should be played, find royalty-free music and determine which employees can access the controls. The program also includes premium customer support.

The new approach could help even out Sonos’s revenue, which is largely dependent on purchases of speakers – devices that aren’t upgraded very frequently. The company’s sales growth is expected to stagnate this year, and adding services and software could help provide a boost.

The Pro service goes live Tuesday in the U.S., and the Santa Barbara, California-based company expects to add additional regions in the future. Sonos is charging $35 per month per location.

Earlier this year, Sonos rolled out new Era 100 and Era 300 speakers, with the higher-end model offering spatial audio - a form of advanced surround sound.