Equal Sound began presenting concerts originating from the idea that all forms of music deserve equal consideration and attention in 2015.

Founding directors Nick Norton and Andrew Glick met in 2015 and found themselves uniquely matched to collaboratively bring the music they found most exciting to a wider audience; both artists shared a belief that any music can be made relatable through high quality, thoughtful production, and that audiences would more readily engage with a variety of genres if shows were presented in an accessible way from programming, environment, price, and marketing standpoints.

Their first event together, in 2015, featured the live premiere of M83’s ambient record, Digital Shades [vol. 1]. This Brian Eno-inspired work had its debut in a sold-out performance, arranged for string ensemble, electronics, and voice.

Building on the success of Digital Shades, Equal Sound continued to develop programming around the idea of presenting music from seemingly disparate genres on the same program, including collaboration with avant-garde saxophone quartet Battle Trance, hybrid music and fashion group Nouveau Classical Project, and interdisciplinary vocalist and contemporary composer Odeya Nini.

After transitioning to a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2018, Equal Sound found a regular home at Art Share LA, presenting a season of performances with artists including HOCKET, Battery, Dustin Wong, Booker Stardrum, Mildred, Madeline Falcone, Isaac Schankler, The Furies, The Octopod, Isaura String Quartet, Blood Oath, and Diana Wade— and rather a lot of very good beer from local breweries supporting these events.

After expanding to producing concerts featuring Carolina Eyck and Sarah Belle Reid at Civic Center Studios in downtown LA at the end of 2019, Equal Sound shifted gears at the beginning of the pandemic and launched a Corona Relief Fund to provide assistance to out-of-work musicians nationwide through a very simple online application. The project went viral, and a team of six volunteers assembled to manage it, ultimately distributing over $100,000 in 2020.

Equal Sound has remained dedicated to its mission of introducing listeners to new music by breaking down the traditional confines of musical genres most recently by supporting projects throughout our music community. We operate the blog and concert calendar New Classic LA, assisted in fundraising for the completion of the Chase Bliss Blooper, and have acted as a fiscal sponsor for a number of projects from individual musicians, ensembles, and composers.

As the organization continues to evolve, Equal Sound maintains our continued commitment to bringing together and supporting our musical community.