If you hadn’t noticed recently, Beats and their ilk have been tearing up a storm within the realm of headphones. Where before we saw nothing but high-quality, black and steel headphones aimed at the industry professional, now we’re seeing multi-colored air streamed models with an ultra-chic appeal. In fact, the industry is almost completely different than it was just about ten years ago. As such, imagine how much it’s changed in fifty years. Why do we bring it up? Because long-time audio veteran Harman is going into—as best as we can figure—a crisis mode because of the changes.
Harman Sends Out the Troops
If you’re unaware of who Harman is, we’re tempted to say shame on you. Harman International Industries has long bee producing an impressive heritage of recording equipment. And we’re not just talking about headphones or microphones here. No, we’re talking about the sort of tape decks that were used at Abbey Road to record Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. And if you’ve got no idea what Abbey Road or that famous record are, we’re just going to go ahead and say it—you’re reading the wrong blog.
Executives at Harman have vehemently denied they’re looking to compete directly with Beats and other celebrity-endorsed headphones like Soul by Ludacris. However, the numbers are in, and they’re a bit hard to bend. Beats Electronics has, in the last three years even, taken over about half of the US Market for high-end headphones. No small feat, considering brands like Harman and Bose have long had their stiff thumbs on that corner of the manufacturing world.
In response (or not if you believe the company) Harman has increased its marketing budget by about 50% to an estimated $50 million—no chump change, even if you did play a critical part in producing Abbey Road masterpieces. Most of this money is being pumped into advertisements featuring music industry A-listers promoting the glory days of the Harman era. In particular, the manufacturer has enlisted McCartney himself to pitch JBL, an Harman brand of studio and concert-ready gear the Knight’s been using since the ye olden Fab Four days. The ad first appeared during the Grammys, but if you missed it, we’re sure it’s on YouTube somewhere.
Other adverts feature such artists as Jennifer Lopez, Maroon 5, and Tim McGraw, pitching any number of products ranging from headphones, to iPod Docks, to stereo systems. All in all, it appears that Harman is really quite desperately looking for a new motif to pin its name to. And with such a veteran history behind them, we can only hope they’ll be able to weather the ever-changing tide that is the headphones market. Though we suppose a better question would be: When will the next Beatles-level masterpiece be recorded, anyway?
