Oda

Live-streamed concerts have become the new normal in 2020 – but a New York home speaker business is determined to make direct-to-home live music consumption a more engaging experience in the months ahead. Combining an innovative new product with an expertly-curated programme of musical partners, including Venezuelan producer Arca and jazz aficionado Marjorie Eliot, Oda is a concept that focuses on the connoisseur rather than the casual.

Oda combines a physical wood-panelled stereo speaker system, designed to mimic the natural reverberations of a hollow-bodied instrument, with a subscription service that focuses on live performance. Accessed via a screen-less control hub, Oda’s programme will include scheduled residency shows, surprise performances, unedited rehearsals and experimental audio. And with on-demand playback ruled out, these transmissions are presented as one-off experiences for all subscribers.

The line-up for this season’s programme is eclectic: ranging from new-age folk singer Beverly Glenn-Copeland and minimalist pioneer Terry Riley, to gospel musician Pastor T. L. Barrett and hip hop producer Madlib. And while we’re yet to see if the phenomenon takes off, Oda does, at least, encourage new consumer behaviour that could help to shape the way we engage with live music in years to come.