One has an album named The Fame Monster, the other is called Monster.
It seemed like the most unlikely combination: Monster, best known for their audio cables, and Lady Gaga, best known for her hits like Just Dance and her kooky fashion sense. But they hooked up together in a heartbeat. Or should we say, Heartbeats – that’s the name of the new earphones launched yesterday in Singapore by Monster.
Designed by Lady Gaga, the stylish earphones come in three colours – red, white/chrome and black – and are the great blend of music and fashion, said Monster MD for the Asia Pacific region Robert Fong at the launch yesterday. They’re also targeted at the young female customer.
“We realised that a lot of audiophiles are male, but there are females who also love music. But can you imagine Stefanie Sun or Tanya Chua walking around Orchard Road with a huge set of headphones on their head? I can’t,” he said.
“But we also realised that a lot of music lovers were missing a lot in terms of sound by using lousy headphones,” said Leo Xi Lin, VP of Asia Pacific business development.
“And some younger music lovers don’t have any idea that even (MP3 players) can bring forth true sound quality. That’s we emphasise on how our headphones can combine sound and lifestyle,” added Robert.
I had the chance to sample the earphones – using I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas, Please Please Me by The Beatles, With Or Without You by U2 and Bach’s Air in G – and I must admit that the sound is great. The noise reduction really works wonders, even though I probably wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the red ones our in public. (The black ones look nice though – did I mention Christmas is coming soon?)love
Singapore is only the fourth country in Asia to roll out Heartbeats, after China, Japan and Hong Kong, but already the demand seems to be overwhelming. “In the United States, with the holiday season, we couldn’t keep up with supply,” said Leo.
“Especially the red-coloured ones,” said Robert. “That absolutely sold out. That’s our best seller.”
Monster only jumped into the headphone business last year, producing the Beats range of headphones and earphones with Interscope Geffen’s head honcho Jimmy Iovine and rapper bigwig Dr Dre.
But both Robert and Leo are quick to insist that Monster is not trying to encroach on the headphone business – they’re just diversifying in order to cope with the challenging economies and market trends.
“We don’t intend to compete or compare with the big boys,” said Fong. “But times are changing. We see a need to develop in other areas other than cable.
“We want to hit a niche market, and target a certain group of people who like music,” said Leo. “From a branding standpoint, the 40somethings know us well, but not the younger people. So by doing these headphones, it’s also one way to revitalise our brand – how our products can tie into their lives instead of their parents’ lives. This is our first step.”
Monster has already set up their products for 2010. “Last year, we only had two models, but this year we have a lot of models lined up for the new year – either under the Beats brand or under the Monster label,” said Leo.
“It’s hard to say how many units you think you can sell or even what dollar-value,” added Robert. “Our first priority is to educate the younger listener as to what is true audio – that’s our primary goal. So in terms of expectation, we will enjoy the ride.”
If what they’re planning for next year is anything like what they’ve come up with so far, I think we’ll be enjoying that ride too.
Heartbeats by Lady Gaga retails at $240, and is available from Audio House, Best Denki, Gramophone, Harvey Norman, HMV and i studio.
More...
It seemed like the most unlikely combination: Monster, best known for their audio cables, and Lady Gaga, best known for her hits like Just Dance and her kooky fashion sense. But they hooked up together in a heartbeat. Or should we say, Heartbeats – that’s the name of the new earphones launched yesterday in Singapore by Monster.
Designed by Lady Gaga, the stylish earphones come in three colours – red, white/chrome and black – and are the great blend of music and fashion, said Monster MD for the Asia Pacific region Robert Fong at the launch yesterday. They’re also targeted at the young female customer.
“We realised that a lot of audiophiles are male, but there are females who also love music. But can you imagine Stefanie Sun or Tanya Chua walking around Orchard Road with a huge set of headphones on their head? I can’t,” he said.
“But we also realised that a lot of music lovers were missing a lot in terms of sound by using lousy headphones,” said Leo Xi Lin, VP of Asia Pacific business development.
“And some younger music lovers don’t have any idea that even (MP3 players) can bring forth true sound quality. That’s we emphasise on how our headphones can combine sound and lifestyle,” added Robert.
I had the chance to sample the earphones – using I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas, Please Please Me by The Beatles, With Or Without You by U2 and Bach’s Air in G – and I must admit that the sound is great. The noise reduction really works wonders, even though I probably wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the red ones our in public. (The black ones look nice though – did I mention Christmas is coming soon?)love
Singapore is only the fourth country in Asia to roll out Heartbeats, after China, Japan and Hong Kong, but already the demand seems to be overwhelming. “In the United States, with the holiday season, we couldn’t keep up with supply,” said Leo.
“Especially the red-coloured ones,” said Robert. “That absolutely sold out. That’s our best seller.”
Monster only jumped into the headphone business last year, producing the Beats range of headphones and earphones with Interscope Geffen’s head honcho Jimmy Iovine and rapper bigwig Dr Dre.
But both Robert and Leo are quick to insist that Monster is not trying to encroach on the headphone business – they’re just diversifying in order to cope with the challenging economies and market trends.
“We don’t intend to compete or compare with the big boys,” said Fong. “But times are changing. We see a need to develop in other areas other than cable.
“We want to hit a niche market, and target a certain group of people who like music,” said Leo. “From a branding standpoint, the 40somethings know us well, but not the younger people. So by doing these headphones, it’s also one way to revitalise our brand – how our products can tie into their lives instead of their parents’ lives. This is our first step.”
Monster has already set up their products for 2010. “Last year, we only had two models, but this year we have a lot of models lined up for the new year – either under the Beats brand or under the Monster label,” said Leo.
“It’s hard to say how many units you think you can sell or even what dollar-value,” added Robert. “Our first priority is to educate the younger listener as to what is true audio – that’s our primary goal. So in terms of expectation, we will enjoy the ride.”
If what they’re planning for next year is anything like what they’ve come up with so far, I think we’ll be enjoying that ride too.
Heartbeats by Lady Gaga retails at $240, and is available from Audio House, Best Denki, Gramophone, Harvey Norman, HMV and i studio.
More...
