In March 2015, a little-known boutique music streaming service became the most talked about thing in the music press. Jay Z’s acquisition and relaunch of Tidal was met with ambivalence at best, ridicule at worst. Yet beyond the uproar, Tidal provides clues about how people like their music.

Neil Young's new HD music player, PonoPlayer, surpassed its Kickstarter goal of $800,000 just hours after launching. But can people really tell the difference in sound quality, or is it purely psychological? And how will its Toblerone shape fit in our flexible, sleek world?

Over 28 million people pay for a music subscription. The consumption of music has changed; Gen Y has experienced the rise of digital music downloads and the downfall of CDs. Bang & Olufsen is now aiming to streamline and personalise home listening with BeoSound Moment. But how?

With the arrival of Apple Music, continued growth of Spotify, and a vinyl revival, it’s clear that the music business is in a state of flux. So how will the way we find, play and share music change in the future? In the first of two reports we see how Spotify and vinyl are shaping the industry.