By Steven Gottlieb on February 7, 2013 @ 11:06am PST |
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If you've come to believe that most UMG rap/pop videos over the past few years were part of a stealth campaign to sell Beats By Dre headphones, well, duh.
Gizmodo has a fantastic article about how the cable/audio manufacter Monster came together with Beats By Dre to make lots of headphones and lots of money, only to then get left in the dust to an awful business deal.
Worth reading and posting here for a few key reasons:
- Music Videos Work! — Beats By Dre have been the most ubiquitous product placement in music videos since their 2008 launch. And guess what? All that exposure worked. Beats became the luxury accessory that was somewhat affordable (sorry, Maybach) and actually served a purpose besides looking cool (sorry, Louis Vuitton)
- Sometimes Music Beats Tech — How many stories have there been about the short-sighted music industry, losing to Apple or some other tech company? This time, Interscope head Jimmy Iovine reportedly cut a deal that let them make a ton of money while owning all the patents and trademarks. Monster took all the risk, had to do all the manufacturing and distribution and then got left in the dust.
Somebody sign Gizmodo's Sam Biddle to a book deal, because I'm sure there's way more to the story...
PS: Here's a fun for anyone who has ever spent over $100 on a cable: Do Coat Hangers Sound As Good As Monster Cables?
