Bose sees the company as a way to reach a wider audience.
Bose acquired Skullcandy and adopted the headphone and speaker company as a separate brand under its consumer audio business. Bose did not share how much it paid for the company in a press release announcing the acquisition, but a collaboration between the two audio rivals has existed for several years. Skullcandy has released several audio products with “Sound by Bose”, including its recent Skullcandy Crusher 1080 headphones.
Following the acquisition, Skullcandy will continue to operate out of Park City, Utah, where it was founded. The company also benefits from greater access to Bose’s technology and resources, which Bose says should allow it to continue to grow and develop. For Bose, the acquisition is really about Skullcandy’s audience. The more lifestyle-oriented audio company has broken into the worlds of sports, gaming, music and fitness, which allow Bose to “connect meaningfully with consumers where it has less of a presence today.”
“For more than 60 years, Bose has been committed to delivering incredible audio experiences wherever and whenever people choose to listen. As we work to reach even more people, we’re expanding how we do that, not just through Bose products, but through technology partnerships and a growing portfolio of brands,” says Bose CEO Lila Snyder.
Bose is known for providing a certain caliber of premium audio experience – especially if you care about active noise cancellation – but it’s not hip, trendy or cool. In that way, Skullcandy could be the beats to Bose’s Apple, reaching a younger, more varied audience while benefiting from the technological developments of Bose’s expensive headphones.