Sonos CEO Patrick Spence posted an open letter on the company's website yesterday, announcing Sonos would be undertaking a new $1.5 million initiative aimed at supporting advocacy efforts to enforce and protect the rights of musicians.
The announcement comes on the heels of the first release of Sonos' new smart speaker, which notably included a more artist-centered approach to branding and promotional rollout than Google and Amazon took with their competing devices.
The first recipients of grants from Sonos under the Listen Better initiative include groups supporting the fight against music censorship, public arts nonprofits and pro-artist lobbying groups. Sonos will accept grant applications from any interested companies anywhere in the world.
Speaking on the impetus for the new initiative, Spence commented, "Too many artists face barriers to free expression and others can be jailed or even killed for merely sharing their songs over the internet. Communities lack space and resources to ensure all musicians can be heard."
Representatives from the first companies to receive Sonos grants praised the new initiative, with David Heinemann, head of fellowship at Index on Censorship applauding, "We stand proudly alongside Sonos in supporting those who strive to be heard."
