With 60% of Americans using the voice-activated concierge service on their smartphone every day, people are growing accustomed to the idea of interacting with a virtual assistant. Tapping into the trend, Amazon has launched a smart speaker that acts like a home assistant.

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.

Joining the ranks of paid-for streaming services, SoundCloud Go intends to put unknown artists right alongside megastars. But can the Swedish start-up offer more than bedroom covers of Beatles tracks and wannabe MCs to truly compete with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music?

Young people have always looked to music, filtered through radio DJs, for identity. For generations growing up with every song at their fingertips and algorithms replacing DJs, how is the medium being redefined, and what new roles can it fulfil?