Sound systems, listening rooms, and branded radio shows are having a moment. When done right, they serve as striking audiovisual centerpieces—returning cultural cachet to the brand while offering audiences a genuine deep-culture experience.
Take Aime Leon Dore’s ‘Radio’ YouTube show, Carhartt WIP’s Williamsburg speaker system designed by Andrea Caputo and Salomée Faeh, Valentino’s NYC store listening room and Stone Island Sound's presentation of 'Friendly Pressure: Studio One' at Milan Design week, for example.
As mainstream audiences grow more attuned to high-quality audio, there’s no longer any skimping on sound—whether it’s a fashion show, store buildout, or brand event.
This changes everything. Speakers used to be a technical line item on the budget sheet. Now they’re an integral part of the overall creative concept. The question isn’t just how they sound, but how they look. It’s where sound, sculpture, and art collide.
We spoke to Dave Chase—ex Music Director at Burberry under Christopher Bailey and founder of music consultancy, LSTNR, and Khaled Elsayed, founder of Ashley Systems to understand what's changed and how brands can authentically turn sound systems into meaningful activations going forward.
What’s clear is that brands need to tread carefully. Sound is no longer separate from the aesthetic; it’s part of the same sensory experience. But if not approached intentionally, the use of sound systems risks becoming another branded coffee shop situation—a quickly dismissed act of cultural ‘cosplay,’ diluted by commercial imitation and superficial execution.
This raises complex questions: How much does authenticity matter to consumers when the experience itself is enjoyable? And, must every brand aim for cultural depth?
The Case for Going Deeper
Twenty years ago, Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) established the blueprint for deep and authentic brand engagement with music culture. Through guest lectures, city workshops, and free studio access, RBMA became a breeding ground for musical talent such as Katy B, Aloe Blacc, Black Coffee, and Hudson Mohawke, embedding Red Bull deeply into street-level cultural authenticity until its closure in 2019.
But many brands balk at such deep investments due to uncertain ROI and significantly shallower marketing pockets than Red Bull.
Dave Chase, Founder of music consultancy, LSTNR, puts it plainly: “Brands historically successful in music—like Converse’s Rubber Tracks—rarely link music activities directly to immediate sales. Instead, they see music as a long-term brand builder, creating genuine affinity that can gradually translate into consumer loyalty.”
“What a brand used to view as ‘just a speaker’ is now more like a sculptural piece. Like a custom DJ booth or bar—it’s part of the creative.” - Khaled Elsayed, Ashley Systems
Spotify echoes this logic: 49% of Gen Z consumers are influenced positively by brand-sponsored music events. Yet, sponsorship alone doesn’t guarantee deep cultural resonance.
At their simplest, sound systems can act as accessible, low-risk activations—introducing a brand to new audiences without the weight of long-term involvement. But to stand out, brands need to innovate, lean into art, or build lasting platforms.
Three Strategic Approaches for Brands: Innovation, Art & Platform
1. Sound Systems As Innovation
As bespoke in-store audio setups become the norm, achieving the same wow-factor grows challenging. Brands should take inspiration from audio technicians and musicians pushing boundaries between soundsystem design and live performance, creating experiences beyond typical expectations.
Take DVS1, the American DJ, producer, and prominent figure in the techno and house music scene who recently created a ‘Roof of Sound’ for Horst Arts & Music Festival. The artist built a vast canopy of sound consisting of 116 top speakers and 58 subwoofers, blanketing 3,000 ravers and 40 metres of dance floor. At most events with conventional rigs, the best sound is at the front. But with this creation, the music reaches everybody equally, making wherever you stand the perfect spot.
Or Devon OJAS’ newly re-opened Nursery speaker system at Public Records NYC, which combines patented horn-loaded acoustics, directional sub-bass, and artisanal craftsmanship to deliver an emotionally resonant, high-fidelity listening experience rarely found in club environments.
Notable mention also to Sunflower Soundsystem that was conceptualised and built by Sam Shepards aka Floating Points which featured at a new stage build at GALA festival in South East London over the weekend.
These sound systems are experiences in their own right. Brands shouldn’t just design great rigs—they should use them. That’s how you guarantee quality and satisfy the ears of the growing audiophile community.
2. Sound Systems As Art
The best brands know: the sound system is the statement.
Luar’s SS24 runway show saw a speaker arch designed by renowned engineering firm, Ashley Systems, that felt more fitting for the MoMA than a catwalk.
Khaled Elsayed explains the shift:
"People’s sensitivities to high quality audio have just risen so much more… clubbing culture has gotten mainstream. It’s turned into a hobby for everybody. It’s not just for nerds on forums anymore—it’s on Instagram, it’s blown up".
And the stakes are higher now: “People will call out your event if the sound is bad. Fashion parties used to get away with it—but not anymore”. For Khaled its part of the whole aesthetic; “Before, you’d hire a whole graphics, interior design, fabrication team—and then throw a black box in the corner. It ruins the entire vibe.”
Others are turning sound into furniture. Paulin, Paulin, Paulin and American football player Stefon Diggs displayed the athlete's personal furnitur collection and a hybrid speaker/sofa prototype by the brand at Miami Design Week in December. The orange Video Barnum couch comprises five, thin geometric seating units that lay close to the ground, with upturned triangular corners that act as backrests. Speakers were embedded within each backrest to create an immersive sound system, reflecting the multi-sensory experience Paulin intended in his original design.
The late Virgil Abloh blurred the lines between sculpture, architecture and music through works like Wandanlage Hi-Fi Wall Unit (Branch) and 12 Inch Voices — a custom speaker set up exhibited at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris as part of “MANIFESTO” exhibition, and later “Figures of Speech.” These works add to a rich lineage of artists working with music — from Bernhard Leitner’s Serpentinata to Robert Rauschenberg’s Mud Muse — and bring it into a contemporary context.
The lesson? Don’t follow convention. Use sound to create new expressions.
3. Sound Systems As Platforms
The most forward-thinking brands aren’t just building sound systems—they’re building entire platforms for them to live within.
Musical Directors at luxury houses have become ‘Directors of Ambience’ (Arman Naféei), curators of emotional tone who anchor a brand’s identity through sound. From Benji B’s influence on Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton era where he collaborated with the likes of Tyler, The Creator and BadBadNotGood to Parker Radcliffe’s recent work for Boy Smells and Sandy Liang, Musical Directors are important — 93% of brands say music helps differentiate them from competitors (Soundtrack).
Inspired by musicians who often break away from bigger labels to start their own, other brands see sound as branding by owning albums or songs, which effectively act as a product release from the label. The indie movie production house A24 recently announced ‘A24 Music' — an audio division producing and distributing original music and soundtracks from A24 films and music projects beyond cinema with the likes of Caroline Polachek and Lorde — while fashion brands Kid Super and 1017 Alyx 9SM have both released music under their respective labels.
But while these moves deepen a brand’s musical footprint, they also risk becoming gimmicks unless backed by consistent creative vision. One-off releases can generate buzz, but only repeated, evolving output builds real cultural capital. Music, like fashion, rewards those who show up season after season.
Final Thought
Ultimately, brands have multiple pathways to engage with music culture effectively, whether superficially or deeply. While surface-level soundsystem aesthetics can provide immediate consumer appeal, brands that genuinely integrate music as experience, art, or identity may achieve stronger, longer-lasting cultural resonance.
However, this approach demands significant resources, sustained commitment, and a clear strategic alignment. Deep, long-term investment might not matter equally to all consumers, so brands should carefully evaluate their specific objectives and audience expectations.
The brands bold enough to treat sound not as backdrop but as message—those are the ones who won’t just soundtrack culture. They’ll shape it.