Beats by Dre

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Beats by Dre President Defends Headphone Quality

Beats by Dre
The quality of Beats by Dre’s ubiquitous headphones is a contentious topic in the DJ and producer communities. While there’s plenty of high-profile artists that can be seen sporting the headphones on a regular basis, others claim they lack quality.
 
During a recent visit to the UK, Beats president Luke Wood spoke exclusively with BBC Newsbeat to respond to comments that the headphones are too bass heavy:
 
“We didn’t go to build a reference headphone, something you build in the studio that is really a technical tool to hear when you are recording.”
 
He added, “If you look at Dre’s pedigree, Jimmy’s [Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine] pedigree, even my pedigree, we are all recording engineers.”
 

“What we did is build a headphone for playback. What does it sound like right when it is finished? And that is what we’ve accomplished.”

 
Wood also addressed rumors about the sockets on Apple products being changed to only take Beats by Dre headphones and what it’s like working with Dr. Dre:
 

“Having a chance to meet him, I can honestly say the only other artist that I feel the same way, that I have been fortunate to meet, is George Harrison.”

 
Read the full interview here.
 
Related: Beats by Dre Headphones Banned at World Cup

| Music Tech
Beats by Dre, Headphones,
Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Beats by Dre Headphones Banned at World Cup



Beats by Dre’s headphones have been banned from the 2014 World Cup due to a licensing agreement between FIFA (the championship’s organizer) and Beats’ rival, Sony Electronics.

Soccer players are required to take off Beats headphones when they’re in World Cup stadiums for official matches and media events. Ironically, many of the sport’s biggest stars are fans of the company’s ubiquitous headphones and have been seen using them on a regular basis.

Some of the players were even featured in a recent short-film produced by Beats which has been seen by over 15 million people on YouTube.

Could the ban actually help strengthen Beats’ brand though? Former Apple and Google executive Ellen Petry told Reuters that it’s a possibility:

“When fans see World Cup athletes wearing Beats in their downtime, by choice, it has as much impact as seeing them lace their Adidas (boots) or sip a sponsored beverage. Maybe more, actually — Beats isn’t a sponsor, so the message is more authentic and credible.”

Related: Apple Confirms Purchase of Beats for $3 Billion

| Music Tech
Beats by Dre, Headphones,
Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Apple Confirms Purchase of Beats for $3 Billion


 
Following weeks of speculation, Apple has officially announced that it’s purchasing Beats Electronics and its music streaming service Beats Music for $3 billion.
 
Beats founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre will join Apple as executives, according to Billboard. There specific roles haven’t been been revealed though.
 
Rumors that Apple was in talks with Beats were first reported nearly three weeks ago. Since then, the industry has been waiting for an official statement from either company despite a celebratory video featuring Dre and Tyrese:
 

 
Many analysts believe that Apple is acquiring Beats in an effort to compete with music streaming services such as Spotify. While iTunes currently dominates the music-download market, streaming is considered the future by most industry experts and Apple hasn’t had an answer to it — until now.
 
Beats Music was launched in January and is said to have 200,000 subscribers. While their subscription numbers pale in comparison to Spotify’s 10 million, Apple’s database of more than 800 million credit cards could help make them a formidable competitor.
 
Written while listening to Doc Jnr’s Dr. Dre Mix

| Music Industry
Apple, Beats by Dre,

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