Orange Amps & Ed Sheeran Launch Global “Play It Home” Grassroots Music Campaign
June 10, 2026
The campaign comes alongside the launch of “Outlowd by Ed Sheeran” a series of Guitar Amps and Bluetooth Speakers, available globally from today
10th June 2026 – London, UK – Play It Home is a worldwide cultural initiative built around local community musicians, emerging talent, and giving something meaningful back to the towns and cities involved. At the heart of the campaign, are the new “Outlowd by Ed Sheeran” ES Series amplifier range. Portable, approachable, amplifiers designed to make playing music feel accessible, social and joyful.
Launching first in Ipswich, Suffolk – Ed Sheeran’s hometown – the campaign began on June 5th with an estimated two-thousand Ed Sheeran fans enjoying a surprise appearance by Ed himself, busking a 6-track set alongside local musician and songwriter Lianne Kaye. One 9-year-old local school boy, Felix, was delighted that Ed chose to give him his brand new amp from the performance at the end of the set. To help Felix with his dream to become a musician, his next 12 months of music lessons will be fully funded – which will make him the first to receive support via the campaign, which aims to give back to the community in each city it visits.
Next, the campaign will travel globally through a series of local sessions hosted alongside Orange Amps and their selected retail partners in towns and cities around the world including Guildford, Toronto, Paris, Sydney, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Bamberg. Each city activation will support local music initiatives through equipment donations, youth music programmes, rehearsal space support or other direct funding for community projects.
Ed Sheeran commented:
“Music doesn’t start in arenas or on streaming platforms. It starts in bedrooms, youth clubs, pubs, schools, parks, living rooms and street corners. That’s where I found my voice. I think tiny venues are super important to learn how to perform and busking teaches you not to sweat the big stuff.
I wanted this project with Orange to feel honest to that – celebrating local musicians, local communities, and the idea that anyone can start somewhere.
Playing music is a really fun thing to do and it should always be fun. It should feel like an escape. Now I’m in my 30s, I just want to do things that I enjoy and get excited by. With this collaboration, it was like, would I use this? Is this something that I need in my life as a musician? And the answer was yes.”
The campaign has been intentionally designed to feel human and accessible, a nod to the times before music culture was dominated by algorithms within your streaming and social media platforms. Throughout the campaign, fans are also encouraged to share their own musical memories and experiences online through a wider “Play It Back” community movement, inspired by the emotional connection people have to music and the moments attached to it.
For Orange Amps, the campaign reflects a wider ongoing mission to make the whole music ecosystem feel accessible and culturally connected again – particularly for younger audiences.
Cliff Cooper, Founder and CEO of Orange Amps said:
“It’s a real pleasure to work with Ed. He is such a talented and caring person who does so much to introduce people into music”.
Developed in collaboration with Ed Sheeran, the new ES range is inspired by the idea that every voice starts somewhere. Created for music lovers, aspiring artists and established performers alike, the range is designed around the belief that great music can happen anywhere. Whether that’s in a bedroom, a rehearsal space, on a street corner, or on stage. From the ES3 premium Bluetooth speaker to the ES60 busking amplifier and flagship ES100 performance amp, the collection combines Orange’s renowned analogue expertise, premium craftsmanship and portable design to help more people enjoy, create and share music. Watch Ed Sheeran talking about the new amps here.
Sarah Yule, Managing Director of Orange Amps, added:
“For us, it’s been a delight to work with Ed and we all realised quite quickly that this was more than simply launching a product range together. We wanted to create something that genuinely meant something to people. Music has this incredible ability to connect us to memories, friendships, confidence and identity. It’s such an important part of our global cultures and our local communities.
That’s what this campaign is all about. Encouraging people to just pick up an instrument and play, take every opportunity to perform, support their local artists, share their stories, and remember that every musician – no matter how big they become – starts somewhere. If we can leave every city we visit with more opportunity, more visibility for local talent and more people inspired to play music, then that matters far beyond selling amplifiers.”
