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Tweeter Home Entertainment Group, Inc., the national electronics retail chain, has teamed with Sonos, Inc., developer of wireless multiroom music systems for the digital home, to bring "the digital home experience directly to the retail floor." The retailer will run broadband Internet connections to Sonos Digital Music System point-of-sale displays at over 150 Tweeter locations, to give music lovers live demonstrations of music server systems.

Sonos' Thomas Meyer was enthusiastic about getting the Sonos system into customers' hands. "Our product is easy to use, so why not meet people where they're going to be?" Referring to Sonos' collaboration with the Rhapsody music subscription service (Sonos customers get a 30-day trial subscription to Rhapsody), Meyer said, "With our deal with Rhapsody, we can give music lovers whatever music they like—that means we can just hand them the CP-100 controller and say, 'Name any group you like and you can be listening to it in seconds.'

"If I tell people that we have a music server, that sounds technical and complicated, but it's our job to eliminate the technology hurdles—what the customer gets is intuitive and natural to use. That's why it's important for us to get out on the sales floors of the best retail electronics stores. Once we put the controller in music lovers' hands, they'll know why they've got to have it."

Tweeter seems to be on the same wavelength. Dave Malin, Tweeter's vice-president, said, "With Rhapsody, the consumer doesn't even have to worry about ripping CDs or even having a computer turned on. It's wireless, it's easy, and we love showing our customers how it works."

Sonos' Meyer seconded that. "At the stores I've been to, the Sonos display is where the sales guys go when they want to take a break. If they have a few free minutes, they check out their favorite music."

Stereophile editor John Atkinson and I have had similar experiences while reviewing music servers. About a year ago, I dropped by Atkinson's house one winter night. "Look at this," he crowed, taking me past some fairly impressive audio gear to pick up a server's remote controller and start pulling music off his WiFi system. Once I got my hands on a server, visitors at my house were subjected to the same routine.

You can read about the technology, but its spread is truly viral—it multiplies through contact. Tweeter and Sonos deserve congratulations for figuring out how to harness that.