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.”
