Beats Electronics was founded in 2006 by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine to produce high-quality audio products. They initially partnered with Monster Cable to manufacture their first product, Beats by Dr. Dre Studio headphones. In 2010, HTC acquired a majority stake in Beats, and in 2014, Apple acquired Beats for $3 billion. Beats manufactures various headphones, speakers, and other audio accessories that are popular among musicians and celebrities. Their acquisition by Apple helped expand their product range and distribution.
3. Dr.Dre
• Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965),
known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American
record producer, rapper and entrepreneur.
• He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath
Entertainment and Beats Electronics.
• In 2014, Dr. Dre was ranked as the second richest
figure in the American hip hop scene by Forbes with a
net worth of $550 million; he is at the top of the
2015 Forbes list, with an estimated pre-tax take of $620
million in 2014.
4. JIMMY IOVINE
• James "Jimmy" Iovine, born March 11, 1953) is an
American entrepreneur, record producer, and film
producer.
• He is best known as the co-founder of Interscope
Records and chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M.
• In 2006, Iovine teamed with Dr. Dre to found Beats
Electronics, a company which produces audio products
and operates a music streaming service.
• The company was purchased by Apple for $3 billion
in May 2014.
7. FORMATION
• The company was formally established in 2006, a time
when the impact of piracy on music sales and the
substandard audio quality provided by Apple's plastic
earbuds.
• Beats initially partnered with Monster Cable, an audio and
video component manufacturer based in Brisbane,
California, to manufacture and develop the first Beats-
branded products, and debuted its first product, Beats by
Dr. Dre Studio headphones, in late 2008.
• To promote its products, Beats primarily relied on
endorsements by pop and hip-hop music performers
(including product placement within music videos), and
partnering with musicians and other celebrities to
develop co-branded products.
8. PURCHASE BY
HTC
• In August 2010, mobile phone
manufacturer HTC acquired a
50.1% majority share in Beats
for US$309 million.
• The purchase also granted
HTC exclusive rights to
manufacture smart phones with
Beats-branded audio systems.
• Despite its majority
acquisition, HTC allowed Beats
to operate as an autonomous
company.
9. ACQUISITION
BY APPLE
• On May 28, 2014, Apple officially
announced its intention to acquire
Beats Electronics for US$3
billion—with $400 million to be
paid in Apple stock and the
remainder in cash.
• Some reports suggested that the
reduction in value may had been a
result of lower-than-expected
subscriber numbers for the Beats
Music service.
• Iovine felt that Beats had always
"belonged" with Apple, as the
company modeled itself after
Apple's "unmatched ability to marry
culture and technology."
10. BOSE LAWSUIT
AGAINST BEATS
•In July 2014, Bose
Corporation sued Beats
Electronics for patent
infringement, alleging that its
"Studio" line incorporated noise
cancellation technology that
violated five patents held by the
company.
•Bose has also sought an
injunction which would ban the
infringing products from being
imported or sold in the United
States.
•The lawsuit was settled out of
court.
11. MONSTER LAWSUIT
AGAINST BEATS
•In January 2015, Monster Inc. sued
Beats for fraud, alleging that the
company had used illicit tactics to
force Monster out of the venture.
•Monster argued that the acquisition
of Beats by HTC and its founders'
subsequent buyback was a "sham" to
take control of Monster's stake in the
company—which could have been
valued at over $100 million in the
Apple purchase.
• Monster also alleged that Beats
had partaken in anti-competitive
practices with retailers to force those
offering Beats products to not offer
Monster's competing products.
12. DR. DRE'S BEATS ELECTRONICS
GETS $500 MILLION INVESTMENT
FROM CARLYLE GROUP
• Beats Electronics, a maker of high-end headphones whose
distinctive branding and ubiquity makes them hard to miss
in many urban areas nowadays, has secured a $500 million
investment from Washington-based private-equity firm the
Carlyle Group.
• Carlyle has purchased an undisclosed minority stake in
Beats in a deal that values the electronics maker at more
than $1 billion. The ballpark valuation comes as no
surprise, given that Beats is on track to net anywhere from
$1.2 to $1.5 billion in revenue this year.
22. BEATS BUYS OUT HTC
• Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC announced that it
was selling back to Beats its remaining 25 percent stake in the
audio equipment company for $265 million. Two years ago,
HTC bought a majority stake in Beats for about $300 million
and began integrating the company's audio technology into its
smartphones.
• Then, in July 2012, HTC sold half of its stake, about 25
percent, back to Beats for $150 million. Analysts said the
partnership had failed to help HTC make gains in the
smartphone market.
23. SWOT ANALYSIS OF BEATS
ELECTRONICS
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
Existing distribution
and sales networks
Competitive markets New acquisitions Growing
competition and
lower profitability
Domestic markets Small business units New products and services Increasing rates of
interest
Monetary assistance
provided
Productivity Growing demand Rising cost of raw
materials
Increasing costs
Technological
problems
External business
risks