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ListenUp
ListenUp is an independent audio/video retailer and systems integrator founded in Denver, Colorado, in 1972 by Walton Stinson, Mary Kay Stinson and Steven Weiner, graduates of Knox College (Illinois). In the early 1980s, ListenUp was instrumental in launching the compact disc (CD) into the US market. The first commercially available compact disc players were shown at the Sony booth at the 1982 Japan Audio Fair. Stinson and Weiner both attended and brought back discs and technical information. On returning from Japan, Stinson was questioned by US customs about “the shiny discs” in his luggage. Lacking funds to purchase advertising, Stinson and Weiner produced live broadcasts of concerts from Ebbets Field, a downtown Denver nightclub, for two Denver radio stations in return for an on-air credit, with the phrase “Sound by ListenUp.” Ebbets Field was Denver's premier music venue of the 1970s and Billboard (magazine) named it Club of the Year in 1975 and 1976. ListenUp produ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walton Stinson
Walton Stinson (born July 2, 1948) is an American sound engineer, business executive, and entrepreneur. He is co-founder and CEO of ListenUp, a privately held Colorado-based company that in 2019 was the 10th largest consumer electronics specialty dealer in the US. Stinson was inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame in 2009, along with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Irwin M. Jacobs, former Chairman of Qualcomm, and Richard E. Wiley, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In 1982, Stinson helped introduce digital audio to the United States. He served as a delegate to the Compact Disc Group. Along with his partner, Steven Weiner, he traveled to Japan in October 1982 to obtain the first batch of compact discs and convinced Sony and Nippon Columbia (Denon) to provide him with the first available players. At a promotional event for CDs in Denver on March 13, 1983, at Rainbow Music Hall, he fooled an audience of 1,000 into believing they were listening t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |