Muzik (company)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | August 2012 |
| Headquarters | |
Key people | Jason Hardi (Founder & CEO) Marc Greenspoon (President) |
| Products | Muzik One, Muzik Connect |
| Website | muzikconnect |
Muzik, LLC is an American consumer electronics company that sells social media-compatible headphones.
History
[edit]Muzik was founded in 2012 by Jason Hardi.[1] He had previously worked with 50 Cent's SMS Audio headphones line.[2] The company demoed a version of its headphones at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2013.[3][4] Following a period of refinement, during which the company received $18 million in investments from Twitter and others, the headphones were given an official launch in 2016.[5][6]
On September 28, 2023, Muzik filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[7]
Product
[edit]Muzik's headphones are wireless and are controlled by four touch-sensitive buttons on the outside of the right earphone, which allow the user to switch between songs, control volume, and share music with friends via social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and Spotify.[6][8] Other features include high-definition audio, voice command, and motion sensor technology.[3] The headphones also interface with Muzik Connect, a mobile app for Android and iOS that enables the product's social capabilities.[9]
Investors and partnerships
[edit]Muzik has had several high-profile investors, including Twitter; François-Henri Pinault, CEO of the luxury group Kering; athletes Chris Paul, Michael Jordan, Ndamukong Suh, Demaryius Thomas, Von Miller, Bradley Beal, and Dwyane Wade; entertainers Kevin Hart, Drake, T.I., and Questlove; motivational speaker Tony Robbins; and Microsoft executive Steve Guggenheimer.[2][8][10][11][12][13][14] Gucci displayed custom Muzik headphones at a 2018 event.[15] Muzik itself is an investor in Dash Radio.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ Snider, Mike (July 29, 2013). "New headphones make music listening a social experience". USA Today. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- ^ a b Greenburg, Zack O'Malley (May 4, 2018). "How Muzik Headphones Raised $70 Million From Michael Jordan, Drake And A French Billionaire Scion". Forbes. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Mark (Nov 25, 2014). "Muzik raises $10M for smart headphones, which will ship early December". VentureBeat. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- ^ Babb, Fletcher (Jan 5, 2016). "Hands-on: Muzik's Twitter-backed headphones beat Apple's Beats". VentureBeat. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ Kafka, Peter (Jan 4, 2016). "Twitter Invests in Muzik, a High-End Headphone Startup". Recode. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ a b Lee, Nicole (Nov 8, 2016). "Do you really need a pair of smart headphones?". Engadget. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- ^ "Headphone Maker with Ties to Drake, T.I. Files Bankruptcy (1)". Bloomberg Law. September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Heater, Brian (Sep 14, 2016). "Muzik's new headphones sport Spotify integration and a bunch of celebrity endorsements". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ Etherington, Darrell (Nov 25, 2014). "Muzik Starts Selling Headphones With One-Touch Social Sharing, Raises $10M In Funding". TechCrunch. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- ^ Heitner, Darren (Feb 4, 2016). "Denver Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas Invests In Headphones Company". Forbes. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ Sprung, Shlomo (Oct 11, 2018). "Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal Talks Investing, NBA Financial Literacy And His Biggest Money Regret". Forbes. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ Shah, Saqib (Jan 4, 2016). "Twitter backs smart headphones startup with first-ever hardware investment". Digital Trends. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ Harris, Michael (Dec 6, 2016). "Kevin Hart and T.I. Partner with New Muzik 'Smart' Headphones [Photos]". Grip Magazine. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ Woodyard, Eric (Sep 17, 2018). "A behind the scenes look at what Utah Jazz's Donovan Mitchell learned from Dwyane Wade this summer". Deseret News. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ Graham, Megan (May 18, 2018). "Deep Focus Founder Schafer Moves Into Wearable Tech As CMO of Muzik". Advertising Age. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ Ha, Anthony (Oct 24, 2018). "Dash Radio raises $8.8M as it reaches 10M monthly listeners". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2 November 2018.