Beats by Dre Enters Web3 with Akutars Collab

Credit: Beats By Dre

Beats by Dre, an American audio products manufacturer, is entering Web3 through a partnership with Micah Johnson’s NFT collection Akutars. The company posted a Tweet yesterday showing images of Aku, the collection’s mascot, stylizing a pair of white headphones:

Although the details of the partnership haven’t been announced, the images indicate that a special Akutars set of headphones may be in the works. Micah Johnson, a baseball player turned NFT artist, posted his own Tweet yesterday thanking the Beats team and the artist behind the styling:

Beats by Dre owns 70% of the headphones market and bills itself as the center of pop culture that has imprinted its legacy on music and sports. It has benefited from free advertising, as the sports media has often captured athletes wearing Beats by Dre headphones during pre-game warmups or walking into their respective arenas.

Akutars is no slouch in the NFT space either. Originally started after a black child asked Micah Johnson whether he could be an astronaut, the collection has garnered significant media attention, with Micah Johnson appearing as a mentor in at least one NFT artist development program.

As such, the partnership could have a big impact on the NFT space and comes at a time when good news has been scarce. Rarity Sniper has reached out to Beats by Dre for comment, but the company didn’t immediately respond. We will update this article if it does.

Big Names Enter Web3 During Bear Market

Although Web3 has been mired in a deep bear market since early 2022, that hasn’t stopped big names from entering the space. In fact, not a month goes by when we don’t cover another big company launching an NFT collection, setting up shop in the metaverse, or partnering with a Web3 company. Some of the headlines include:

As the headlines show, many big names are still entering the Web3 space, even amidst the current downturn in prices. So, while NFT fever may have cooled in the last several months, mainstream companies are still betting big on the technology, culture, and future of the internet, all of which bodes well for the Web3 space.

And, as some observers have noted, companies are still filing Web3 trademark applications, indicating that they will build products in the space. Although those plans may be a year or so out, the fact that companies are committing resources to Web3 is another promising sign.

Rarity Sniper will stay tuned for any updates in this Beats by Dre story and report back with the details as they arise.