S. Samuel
Music mogul Dr. Dre flaunted his new alignment with mega tech giant Apple this week after appearing with the company at its Worldwide Developers Conference. #DocInTheHouse
According to reports, the Doc and fellow business partner Jimmy Iovine were both in attendance for the event.
“New employee orientation starts at 9:00, and you don’t want to miss the free t-shirt,” Federighi told Dre in a tongue-in-cheek conversation. The company did not announce a job title for Dre. Iovine was not introduced, and neither Federighi, Cook, nor any other presenter mentioned Beats by name during the presentation. Iovine has joined Apple as part of the deal, however, as has Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers and chief creative officer and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor. (Billboard)
With an estimated net worth of $790 million, the Doc was named the wealthiest hip-hop artist alive following Apple purchasing Beats Electronics for $3 billion.
Billionaire.com, the lifestyle resource for high and ultra-high net worth individuals, based the ranking on data exclusively compiled by Wealth-X, the intelligence provider on the world’s ultra wealthy (those with over US$30 million). After the sale to Apple, Andre Young, AKA Dr Dre, knocks Puff Daddy into second place. Aside from making millions from album sales, record labels and side businesses such as fashion brands and film production, many of the top ten are also major philanthropists in their own right. (PR Newswire)
Reports last week suggested the Doc and Iovine would play big roles at Apple.
Their titles: “Jimmy” and “Dre.” It’s a full-time gig for Mr. Iovine, who is leaving his post as chairman of Vivendi’s Interscope Records. Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, will continue to produce music but do “as much as it takes” for Apple. (No word on whether that includes creating and posting any Instagram videos.) (Wall Street Journal)
Last week, reports claimed Beats was now officially in Apple’s control after weeks of speculation.
On Wednesday, Apple made its biggest bet on the future of music since it first transformed the industry more than a decade ago with its iTunes music store. The tech giant made its largest acquisition ever, agreeing to pay $3 billion in a deal to acquire the maker of the popular Beats headphones, along with the streaming music service Beats Music. (Washington Post)
