Beats Audio has officially announced its next project - a new streaming music service titled "Daisy." The service is scheduled to launch later in 2013, and it is being led by former Nine Inch Nails member Trent Reznor.
The high-end headphone maker previously purchased the music service MOG back in the summer of 2012 for $14 million, though it never declared what it intended to do with its acquisition. Although MOG will continue to operate as it is now, it's likely that it will eventually be folded up into whatever project Daisy finally materializes as.
Details were slim, although according to Engadget, the company will reportedly focus primarily on getting the streaming service up and running for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone users.
"What's missing from the digital music landscape is a cultural context," said Beats CEO Jimmy Iovine in a press release. "We need to bring an emotional connection back to the act of music discovery. With Trent and now Ian we have the right team in place to do it".
Former Topspin manager Ian Rogers was named CEO of the project and, with Reznor as chief creative officer, will oversee the launch of the Daisy.
"After years of fighting and uncertainty, it's now undeniable all the world's music will be available on every device by just clicking play. However, the current streaming experiences aren't good enough. They aren't good enough for fans, who need it to be easier to find music they love. And they aren't good enough for artists, who want to grow their audiences and make money." said Rogers. "This is the opportunity I've been working toward my entire career."
Beats also had some good news to celebrate on Friday, when the Financial Times reported that the company was responsible for about 40 percent of all headphone sales during the holiday period. That's a pretty remarkable number for what are marketed as high-end, premium (aka expensive) products. Beats headphones were also 70 percent of all high-end headphone sales.
Beats by Dre headphones were first released in 2008 and retail anywhere from $99 for earbuds to $400 for headphones.
