Beats Electronics Announces New Music Service, Project Daisy; Names Ian Rogers CEO
Respected Music Industry Vet Joins Jimmy Iovine, Luke Wood and Trent Reznor to Usher in New Digital Music Experience
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Beats Electronics LLC (Beats), the leading audio brand co-founded by legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre and Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman Jimmy Iovine, today announced a new music service, project “Daisy” and the appointment of Ian Rogers as CEO. Rogers will oversee the direction, vision and strategy for project “Daisy” and the talented team developing the service.
Simultaneously, Rogers will step into the leadership position at MOG, the streaming music service Beats acquired in 2012.
Effective immediately, Rogers reports directly to Beats CEO and Co-founder Jimmy Iovine and President and COO Luke Wood and is based out of the company’s Santa Monica headquarters. The new service will benefit from the creative vision of music icon and newly appointed Chief Creative Officer Trent Reznor and is set to launch in late 2013 as a stand-alone company under the Beats Electronics umbrella.
“What’s missing from the digital music landscape is a cultural context,” said Iovine. “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.”
Most recently the CEO of Topspin and formerly the GM of Yahoo! Music, Rogers brings to Beats both technology and music industry savvy, along with a unique understanding of the music business from the artist’s point of view. His track record for successfully joining product, promotion, and direct-to-consumer marketing sets a compelling stage for both MOG and “Daisy” within the burgeoning and competitive digital music space.
“For Ian, innovation and disruption is a concept he has mastered — he is able to instinctively identify the opportunities for growth and improvement that exist in the digital music space better than anyone I have ever met and he knows what it takes to win,” said Luke Wood. “There is no one better for this role.”
Rogers, firmly committed to championing the artist community, will remain on the Topspin board of directors and serve as Executive Chairman. Beats Electronics will make a substantial investment in Topspin to help create meaningful business opportunities for artists inside project “Daisy”. For more information visit Topspin’s blog at http://topspinmedia.com/blog.
“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,” said Rogers. “This is the opportunity I’ve been working toward my entire career.”
About Beats Electronics LLC:
Established in 2008 as the brainchild of legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre and Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records Jimmy Iovine, Beats Electronics provides a premium sound experience at every touch point of the consumer’s life. It is the parent company of the Beats™ by Dr. Dre™ line of high-quality headphones, Beats Audio™ HD-sound systems, and the MOG digital music service. The company’s mission is to provide a superior end-to-end music experience – with headphones, devices and services – so fans feel the emotion and hear the music the way artists intended it to sound from the studio. This experience is aided by partnerships with HP, Chrysler Group and HTC Mobile.
Led by Co-Founder & CEO Jimmy Iovine, Co-Founder Dr. Dre, and President & COO Luke Wood, Beats Electronics is based in Santa Monica, CA. For more information, please visit www.beatsbydre.com