Sonos Closes NYC Store To Support Net Neutrality

SOHO, NY — The electronics company Sonos closed its flagship Soho store on Sunday to draw attention to the current battle over net neutrality regulations

On the day of the music industry's biggest night, the company said it decided to close its NYC store as a way to protest pending changes to regulations for internet providers.

The shop, located at 101 Greene St., was closed all day on Sunday, as much of the music industry spent the night partying at the Grammy Awards.

"It might seem counterintuitive—foolish, even—for a music-obsessed company like Sonos to turn customers away on a day when artists are flocking to New York to celebrate the year in music," the company said in a statement. "But that’s exactly the point. While music lovers everywhere are turning their attention to the 60th annual Grammy Awards, we’re using this moment to highlight an issue that deeply affects creativity and culture: Net neutrality."

Net neutrality regulations prevent internet service providers from favoring certain sites over others, and deciding which internet sites can load at high speeds and which won't.

In December, the Federal Communications Commission voted to roll back net neutrality regulations, eliminating rules that related how internet providers connect customers to the internet. The repeal has yet to go into effect, and Senate Democrats are currently pushing for a measure that would re-establish the rules.

Sonos' publicity ploy is asking internet users to voice their support for net neutrality regulations to their Congress representatives.

"This is a matter that’s near and dear to our hearts, because Sonos was built on an open internet," the company said. "Without net neutrality policies like the ones that are currently under threat, the idea of a multi-room home sound system that runs off of WiFi—and streams music from dozens of sources—would not have been feasible when we started building it 15 years ago."

This post has been amended to note that the store was closed on Sunday, Jan. 28.

Image credit: Mark Lennihan / AP Photo