(L-R): Ian Rogers, Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine and Luke Wood at the Beats by Dr. Dre CES after-party at Marquee Nightclub in Las Vegas on Jan. 10. Photo: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for Beats by Dre
Beats Electronics, the audio brand best known for high-end headphones, will launch a music service this summer. Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman Jimmy Iovine, who co-founded Beats with legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre, shared details of the Beats music service last week at the AllThingsD Dive Into Media conference.
Iovine told attendees that the service will focus on playlists curated by music/creative experts for every possible occasion. According to reports, Iovine also said his service would offer a marketing advantage to artists, who could learn about the fans who listen to their music.
Ian Rogers, most recently the CEO of Topspin and formerly the GM of Yahoo! Music, is on board as CEO of Beats and is also leading MOG, the streaming music service Beats acquired in 2012. Trent Reznor is the Chief Creative Officer of Beats, which is based in Santa Monica.
Rogers reports directly to Iovine and President and COO Luke Wood.
“What’s missing from the digital music landscape is a cultural context,” said Iovine in prepared statement. “We need to bring an emotional connection back to the act of music discovery. With Trent and now Ian we have the right team in place to do it.”
Rogers stated, “After years of fighting and uncertainty, it’s now undeniable all the world’s music will be available on every device by just clicking play. However, the current streaming experiences aren’t good enough. They aren’t good enough for fans, who need it to be easier to find music they love. And they aren’t good enough for artists, who want to grow their audiences and make money. This is the opportunity I’ve been working toward my entire career.”
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Sarah Skates has worked in the music business for more than a decade and is a longtime contributor to MusicRow.View Author Profile
