Sonos is working with creative agency Amplify to deliver the event, which aims to demonstrate that 'Your music deserves better.' The listening amnesty, which is part of Sonos' 'You're better than this' advertising campaign, will begin on Wednesday (26 October) at 8am outside London King's Cross railway station and offers the first 300 arrivals their own Sonos home sound system to take away.
The 'You're better than this' campaign has been designed to draw attention to listening experiences gone wrong. Viewers are invited to visit the Sonos website and witness an advert - starring actors Paul Rudd and Rashida Jones - that outlines the absurdities and bad quality of the modern music-listening experience.
Jamie Coomber, UK Marketing Director of Sonos UK, said: "There’s a huge gap between how people feel about music and how they experience it at home. Through our campaign, we demonstrate the letdown current listening behaviours bring and show that listening to the music we love should be easy. We want to fill every home with music, which is why we’re putting this call out to swap people’s listening fails for a Sonos PLAY:1."
The so-called 'listening fails' that the first 300 guests will exchange for a Sonos PLAY:1 will not go to waste. They will be used to create a 'You're better than this' artwork, which will be built by local designers Made. Having been revealed on the evening of 26 October, the artwork will be a reflection of the collective 'listening fails', as well as a monument to the past. It will be built over the course of the day, and will feature old speakers - spreayed gloss black - with the end result being illuminated by white LED lighting.
Sonos speakers are designed for the modern home, and feature a wireless design. Visitors to the event can only swap their home speakers - headphones, CD players, turntables or car speakers will not be accepted as exchangeable listening fails.
In early 2016, Sonos staged a series of workshop-style events in association with charity Secret 7. This month, audio company Sennheiser created a 'Soundscape Showroom' listening experience in New York.
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