Report Claims Beats Acquisition to Bring "Culturally Aware" Managers to Apple, Manage Subscription Music Transition

[MacRumors]

Bringing "culturally aware" managers to Apple is a big part of why Apple is interested in acquiring Beats, according to a new report from TechCrunch.

The piece claims that Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre are the big prizes at the company, and that it fits with Tim Cook's recent hiring of high-fashion managers like Angela Ahrendts from Burberry, wearable expert Ben Shaffer from Nike, and Paul Deneve from Yves St. Laurent.

Dre and Iovine have design and marketing savvy from Beats that could be significant for the company, which has struggled somewhat with its marketing efforts since Steve Jobs has passed away.

A well-placed source has confirmed rumors that Apple's acquisition of Beats "is happening" but was close to falling apart multiple times. The source said with "70% certainty" that Apple's planned multi-billion acquisition of headphone maker Beats will go through. But Apple isn't buying Beats for the technology, they're buying the talent.

"They want Jimmy and they want Dre," said the source. "He's got fashion and culture completely locked up."

In a separate TechCrunch piece, a different reporter says Apple is looking to operate Beats as an external streaming music service to avoid cannibalizing its iTunes download business.

Reportedly, it's not that Apple is worried about losing its 30% cut of song downloads, but Apple launching a streaming music service could decimate the more than $1 billion that iTunes generates for record industry revenues.

Because it's deeply conscious that pumps a lot of blood into the music industry. My source says iTunes execs started deeply considering streaming at least two years ago. They realized a sudden move for iTunes from downloads to streaming could lead to dark days for the record business, reducing musical inventory - and revenue - accordingly.

The piece argues that Apple may be looking to grow its streaming business on the side as iTunes music downloads drop, and that the company is looking to "bridge the download and cloud eras gracefully."

It says Apple executives are looking to strike a deal with record labels that would allow the company to sell a subscription music service for $5 per month, half of what Spotify charges, but with a higher cut of revenues.

Supposedly the acquisition will be announced soon, perhaps during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on June 2.

Article Link: Report Claims Beats Acquisition to Bring "Culturally Aware" Managers to Apple, Manage Subscription Music Transition

 

[NachoGrande]

Great I hope we get great design ideas like obnoxious over sized white head phones. That white leather jacket is wicked cool...

 

[Dekema2]

What does "culturally aware" have to do with products...

I don't think everyone listens to rap, do they? I do a little, but still, there are a lot of genres!

 

[JilzVT]

Still doesn't make sense. Why not just hire away the managers you want rather than buy the entire company?

They didn't buy Compaq to get Tim Cook.

 

[johnnyturbouk]

oh great, loving the way Tim Cooks is piloting Apple to some douche, image obsessed boutique! Damn it, just make magical products and most of us fanboys will be happy

PS cant wait for the Dr Dre Macbook, featuring the Snoop doggy keyboard - oh please kill me now!

 

[Crosscreek]

I will be so culturally aware and cool my brain will explode.

 

[xmichaelp]

Yesss, I've always though Apple needed some swag.

Really though, beats are trash and also trashy. They sounds and look like crap. That isn't culture.

 

[needfx]

you're acquiring it wrong?

 

[CL4W]

Does he not ever wear a hat? Just shave that bold spot of yours bro.

 

[losthorse]

-- removed by user --

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

They are reinventing themselves.

 

[wkadamsjr]

What does "culturally aware" have to do with products...

I don't think everyone listens to rap, do they? I do a little, but still, there are a lot of genres!

Well they do make white and black devices...

 

[Ventilatedbrain]

Great I hope we get great design ideas like obnoxious over sized white head phones. That white leather jacket is wicked cool...

As much as I dislike the beats stupid headphones , you can't deny that these guys really brought the brand to public awareness

 

[IJ Reilly]

Dre and Iovine have design and marketing savvy from Beats that could be significant for the company, which has struggled somewhat with its marketing efforts since Steve Jobs has passed away.

Oh, my brain hurts.

 

[Eduardo1971]

Wow, that is a lot of money for (basically) two people.

 

[tommyminahan]

Does he not ever wear a hat? Just shave that bold spot of yours bro.

FTFY
Does he ever not wear a hat?

--
Also, Do you think he'll have a hat on when he takes his Apple Executive Headshot?

 

[Benjamins]

lol how many different version of the same report have we heard already.

So when it's confirmed that it's all BS all along, they can just claim that the deal fell apart?

 

[apolloa]

hahaha 'culturally aware' haha, it's like a parent trying to use the internet to be hip with their children hehe.

If there's ONE company that really doesn't need to be 'culturally aware' it's Apple! It's brand is so cool and hip with young people it's crazy.

 

[Peace]

What. Was Steve Jobs the only "culturally aware" person at Apple ?

 

[chrisbru]

I'd fall over laughing if at the start of the WWDC keynote the lights dimmed all the way and then we just hear...

"Caaaaaaaaalifornia looooove"

And then boom, Dre appears.

 

[stiligFox]

I'm amazed the sheer amount of hate that's going on here.

But then again that's normal before anything big - the iPod was royally hated by MacRumors members when it came out, the whole internet thought that iPad was the stupidest name ever and it was "just a big iPod touch."

Something I've learned is that the more controversial an idea Apple has, the more likely it'll be a good decision

 

[diddl14]

Still hoping this is just decoy for something really, really smart...

 

[johnnyturbouk]

Right, because when I think of Steve Jobs the first thing I think of is gangster rap and crappy headphones.

Maybe Apple should focus less on marketing and more on innovating.

amen!

Yesss, I've always though Apple needed some swag.
Really though, beats are trash and also trashy. They sounds and look like crap. That isn't culture.

lol!

maybe the image they are going for is:

 

[bungiefan89]

Apparently, pushing a brand that emphasizes style over substance and getting endorsements from mainstream celebrities qualifies as "culturally aware."

God, this makes me sick.

 

[tommyminahan]

amen!
lol!
maybe the image they are going for is:

Does he really sign his name vertically? that picture looks very weird...