MINNEAPOLIS - (Business Wire) Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) today announced the introduction of Club Beats™, a new in-store destination created in partnership with Monster and Beats by Dr. Dre™, founded by legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records. As people continue to evolve their ways of consuming music, Club Beats provides a destination for consumers to learn how to create and individualize their listening experience. Launching in Best Buy stores nationwide, Club Beats provides customers with a backstage pass to the latest and greatest in entertainment technology, exclusive events, and access to today’s hottest music artists. “Entertainment has long been the heart and soul of Best Buy. Our customers have always looked to us as a resource for music in a variety of formats,” said Brian Dunn, Best Buy’s CEO. “With Club Beats, the latest in sound quality and music technology will be available to all of our customers who want to bring music to life in a fresh way and unleash their inner DJ.”
Existing in concert with many Best Buy Musical Instrument stores, Club Beats offers a full service entertainment experience that encourages interaction with the latest and greatest in music, audio, entertainment and technology products including DJ equipment, Beats by Dr. Dre headphones and in some locations, the newly introduced HP Envy 15 Beats Limited Edition laptop. Club Beats will be staffed by Best Buy’s Blue Shirt employees, who share a passion for music and are equipped with the tools and knowledge to help customers listen and create music in new ways.
Since launching the Beats by Dr. Dre headphone line in partnership with Monster, Dre and Iovine have set out to reproduce the full spectrum of sound that musical artists and producers hear in professional recording studios. The Club Beats experience falls right in line with this mission by inviting customers into a unique environment to hear first-hand what they’ve been missing in music.
"Dre and I feel that Best Buy and Brian Dunn's commitment to the quality of sound in music, along with their aggressive promotion and marketing of popular culture, makes this the perfect place to launch Club Beats,” said Iovine.
Head Monster Noel Lee noted: "At Monster, we are fanatical about great sound and we are committed to creating products that help people experience the best possible audio and get more enjoyment out of their music. We say 'sound really matters,' because we believe that music really matters. Club Beats is a very exciting proposition, because it will allow people to explore the world of high-performance audio while at the same time discovering ways to get closer to the music and artists they love."
Best Buy is kicking off the Club Beats experience by hosting several celebrations across the country with today’s top music talent, including:
| November 13 – Miami | | Local DJs; major artist TBD |
| November 16 – Minneapolis | | LMFAO |
| November 17 – Houston | | Keri Hilson |
| November 19 – New York City | | Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine, Will.i.am, David Guetta, Major Lazer and DJ Diplo |
| November 21 – Las Vegas | | Robin Thicke |
| November 23 – Los Angeles | | Lady Gaga |
| To learn more and obtain access to these and additional events, go to www.bestbuy.com/clubbeats |
ABOUT BEST BUY CO., INC.
With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, China and Mexico, Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $45 billion in annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy, Audiovisions, The Carphone Warehouse, Future Shop, Geek Squad, Jiangsu Five Star,Magnolia Audio Video, Napster, Pacific Sales, The Phone House, and Speakeasy. Approximately 155,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in its communities. Community partnership is central to the way business is done at Best Buy. In fiscal 2009, Best Buy donated a combined $33.4 million to improve the vitality of the communities where its employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com.
ABOUT MONSTER
Monster is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2009. The company was founded by Head Monster Noel Lee with a commitment to creating products under the Monster Cable® brand to literally “make music sound better.” Today, Monster has grown and diversified to become the world's leading manufacturer of connectivity solutions for high-performance audio, video, car audio, computer, console and computer gaming, as well as a leading innovator in the field of iPod® and iPhone™ accessories and professional audio and sound reinforcement. Additionally, under its Monster Power® brand, the company is the leading manufacturer of high-performance AC power line conditioning and protection products for audio/video systems. Explore the world of Monster at www.monstercable.com.
ABOUT BEATS ELECTRONICS LLC
Established in 2006, Beats Electronics is the brainchild of legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, who set out to develop a new type of headphone with the capability to reproduce the full spectrum of sound that musical artists and producers hear in professional recording studios. In January of 2008, Dre and Iovine announced a partnership with audio innovator Monster Cable to engineer “Beats by Dr. Dre,” the most advanced headphones ever developed. Today, Beats Electronics continues to work with Monster to improve the quality of the portable audio experience and expand the Dr. Dre family of headphones to include in-ear speakers and artist branded products. For more information, please visit http://beatsbydre.com/.
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Best Buy
Erin Bix, 612-291-7965
Erin.Bix@bestbuy.com
or
MS&L for Best Buy
Laura Konopack, 212-468-3574
Laura.Konopack@mslworldwide.com
