Los Angeles - Beats
Electronics has named music executive Luke Wood president and COO.
Wood was the chief
strategy officer of Interscope Geffen A&M Records and president of
Interscope's imprint label DGC Records. Beats was founded in 2006 by Interscope
chairman Jimmy Iovine and Interscope artist/producer Dr. Dre, who partnered
with Monster to produce and market the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones line. The
company has since expanded the Beats line to include a portfolio of headphone
products, Beats Audio software for a line of Hewlett-Packard notebook PCs as
well as Beats iPod docks.
As Interscope's
chief strategy officer, Wood was responsible for the company's traditional and
digital business development and the creation and execution of the company's
operational strategy. He is a veteran record executive who has discovered and
marketed a wide portfolio of artists.
According to the
company, Wood is being brought aboard by Iovine and Dre "to build upon the
company's record growth in 2010. Together they are creating category-leading
consumer products known as much for their unique brand appeal as for their
ability to reproduce the full spectrum of sound captured in professional
recording studios."
"Luke has been a
passionate advocate and believer in Beats ever since Dre and I conceived the
idea four years ago, and he deeply shares our vision to repair the sound
ecosystem and restore appreciation for audio quality that has been lost to the
digital music revolution," Iovine said in a statement. "Luke's unique
perspective and his uncanny ability to see what will strike a chord in pop
culture and anticipate consumer trends ahead of the curve have driven a highly
successful career in the music industry and will be a huge asset to Beats."
"Whether as a
musician, sound engineer or music executive, I have always chased the emotion
in music and its power to move culture," said Wood. "Beats allows me to work on
behalf of all artists to allow fans to hear music the way it was meant to be
heard, not only through headphones and speakers but on any platform engaged in
the transmission of sound."
Abstract Web:
Los Angeles - Beats Electronics has named music executive Luke Wood president and COO.