Posted on 05/09/2014 4:41:09 PM PDT by dennisw
If the deal goes through, it will make Dr. Dre the richest man in hip-hop, according to Forbes.
The deal would come as Apple’s sales are flagging, a problem that stems from a lack of major new products that bring consumers to Apple stores, according to an investor note from Needham analyst Charlie Wolf obtained by Apple Insider. Apple also faces intense competition from Microsoft, Google and smartphone maker Samsung.
Why splurge on Beats, which can cost more than $300? Part of the reason: the cool factor. Despite the hefty price tag, the headphones, a streetwise fashion statement with a signature “B” on the ear, are as popular with teens as they are with celebrities.
The “Dre” in “Beats by Dre” is Andre Young, better known as Dr. Dre. The Washington Post’s Soraya McDonald has a refresher: He helped popularize West Coast gangsta rap, especially a sub-genre called G-funk, and was one of the founding members of NWA (Niggaz With Attitude). His 1992 debut solo record, “The Chronic,” is a classic within the hip-hop pantheon. He’s also credited with launching the careers of Eminem and 50 Cent when he signed them to his record label, Aftermath Entertainment. His is the sort of cool that doesn’t fade in the wash.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I see T Boone Pickens has a sense of humor and tweeted a welcome to the 1% to Dre.
What are the chances Apple just shuts this service down? A few years ago they bought an innovative music service called Lala, and they shut it down within a year, and gained nothing from it. I honestly don’t know if Beats is good or bad, but these kind of acquisitions rarely seem to work. It’s just getting rid of competition.
look who is getting rich selling trashy hip-hop and rap to all be they blacks or whites. Maybe worldwide
The new economy. We don’t make steel but we know how to make and distribute trash, how to stream it and how to sell Chinese made (by slave labor) headphones for $300 that cost $20.
If this country is so racist then how come Dr Dre is so rich
AAPL has no interest in Dre. His partner Iovine is the key to the acquisition. Iovine has innovative inroads in the digital music subscription business. Dre just got lucky, and really brings nothing to the table but name recognition.
Actually, I looked at and listed to a few of their products, and they are a good fit for Apple. IMO, they looked cooler and sounded better than their competitors; they seemed to be built better and they cost more. Sound familiar?
IMO, Jobs learned this from his stint at early/mid 1970’s HP - when HP was HP. HP’s product manuals actually stated, “we will build the best products regardless of cost”...and people will willing to buy those products. There will always be a market for quality at some elevated price. The question is, how much more elevated.
they get rich off the backs of stupid whites....period....”they’re” people don’t actually “buy” anything...
I doubt Apple will shut it down but it will “diversify” the music it will be streaming.
Beats by Apple and Dr Dre ....get used to it!
You better believe it! Young stoners, wiggers, white Obama voters and so on etc etc This Apple acquisition fits in great w pot legalization
Probably because he created a product that so people enjoy?
FR still supports capitalism, right?
Actually, Dre has been in the music business since the early 80s. He was part of a synth-pop group, World Class Wrecking Cru that brought a different type of funk and pop to the West Coast, much like what Prince did in inventing the "Minneapolis Sound."
Get ready for the next urban crime wave.
White kids wearing $300 earphones.
Those headphones are a running joke on every music engineering board I frequent. The top two complaints “Build quality is crap/fall apart soon after purchase” and “nothing but bass”.
They probably bought it for the sound technology that can be incorporated into its speakers.
Also any company Apple does buy, they can sit on that company’s patents for years on end. Just because they may have closed the company now does not mean it won’t be resurrected in some form five years from now.
Dre may have gotten lucky to get into the game, but you can’t stay in the game unless you have the props to do so.
“Those headphones are a running joke on every music engineering board I frequent. The top two complaints “Build quality is crap/fall apart soon after purchase” and “nothing but bass”.”
At the risk of being really ‘uncool’, I absolutely agree. Where’s the crispness? Where’s the treble? I’m amazed at how much street cred these things have. It’s nice to here that someone who knows a thing or two about sound engineering agrees.
The only thing I have ever heard a genuine sound engineer say about them is that they are a good reference for checking low end/sub bass. Which is all most Rap/hiphop is today...their intended target. But NEVER for anything else.
Personally I have a set of Beyerdynamic DT880s. They aren’t Stax or Senn HD800s, but they are damn good across the spectrum.
By first listen was ‘icepicks’ but they broke in smooooooth yet detailed.
They are total garbage and the laptop speakers are nothing more than a label. Its as bad as Bose. Nothing but name recognition.
I’ll stick with sennheiser and audio technica.
The AT H50s have a hell of a rep for a third the price of Dre’s crap. Many pros swear by them even with higher end options available.
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