Ode Audio CEO Howard Robertson (left) and Matthew Harris (Flyer)
If there’s one thing that Memphis knows, it’s music, and Ode Audio is looking to reinforce that fact. A broadcasting group that focuses on the curation of Black radio, podcasts, and music, Ode Audio plans to launch its mobile phone app this spring. The Memphis Flyer spoke with CEO Howard Robertson about his connection to the music industry, the formation of Ode Audio, and his hopes for the future.
Memphis Flyer: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your relationship with Memphis, music, and radio.
Howard Robertson: I’m a native Memphian, born and raised in Memphis during the 50s and 60s and I’m quite proud of that, because that was ground zero and basically the center of the universe if you were young and African American. There were so many things happening here from a musical, cultural, civil rights, and human rights standpoint. I could not have wished, or hoped, or planned to be raised at a better time, or in a better place than Memphis, Tennessee. I had always loved radio as a kid, and grew up listening to WDIA and WLOK. I didn’t know it at the time, but WDIA was the first Black format radio station in America. And that’s what I decided I wanted to do.
One thing that sounds important to you is your sense of pride in the African American community in Memphis. How has that feeling translated into audio?
I was fortunate enough to grow up here and was always exposed to Black excellence and Black entrepreneurs. So that exposure to business came from Memphis. I had an opportunity to see people do things that had never been done before. So having the opportunity to be exposed to that kind of excellence and entrepreneurial excellence, gave me a lot of confidence. I had long since been able to make a living from my ideas and imagination. And that’s how I came up with Ode Audio.
Where did you come up with the name?
Ode Audio has a dual meaning. First, it’s an acronym that stands for “our digital entertainment.” And secondly, the word ode, by definition, means a musical or poetic tribute to something or someone, and in this particular case, Ode is a musical tribute to Black music, Black culture, and Black radio. It speaks in two ways to what we’re trying to accomplish.
Your website says that you want to focus on not just Black radio and Black podcasts, but also on Black culture. What are some of the ways that you’re going to promote that through your new app?
We’re going to do that by being a conduit, being the linkage between music, news, and culture. What we’re going to do is to give an opportunity to pull things together. For example, where does where the National Urban League prize podcast live? Where does the NAACP’s podcast live? Other organizations that are significant contributors to Black people and culture, where does that information live? We’re going to be able to tie it all in because it really has no other place to live. Each group has its own website, but there is not a kind of a central repository, a one-stop-shop for Black information entertainment, and culture, and all of that.
Ode Audio will be launching its flagship app sometime this spring. More information on the app and its message can be found on the organization’s website.