Denver-based specialty audio/video retailer and integrator ListenUp will be inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame on April 8, 2026, as part of the organization’s inaugural Community Impact class, according to the company.
Founded in 1972 by Walt Stinson, Steve Weiner, and Mary Kay Stinson, ListenUp says it has been involved in the design and engineering of sound systems at several Colorado concert venues, including Ebbets Field, Boulder Theater, Fiddler’s Green, and Rainbow Music Hall. The company also states that it engineered live concert broadcasts for regional radio stations such as KBCO, KFML, KVOD, KBPI, KADX, and KHOW during the 1970s and 1980s.
ListenUp says its founders preserved many of those performances, creating an archive of more than 300 live recordings documenting Colorado’s music scene. Portions of that archive were later released as part of the “Live from Ebbets Field” series.
According to the company, Sony and PolyGram selected ListenUp as an official U.S. launch partner for the Compact Disc format in 1982, and the firm participated in demonstrations and retail initiatives aimed at introducing digital audio to consumers.
Today, ListenUp operates six retail locations across Colorado’s Front Range and in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and provides custom design and installation services, as well as an e-commerce platform that launched in 1997, the company says.
The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Colorado Convention Center and will include performances, a silent auction, and access to the Hall of Fame exhibit. Proceeds from the event will support the Colorado Music Hall of Fame’s programs and initiatives, according to ListenUp.
“For more than fifty years, ListenUp has been guided by one belief: that great music deserves great sound,” said Walt Stinson, co-founder of ListenUp. “From designing live sound systems and recording historic performances to introducing new technologies and serving generations of music lovers, that mission continues to guide everything we do.”
