Ever wonder what happened to some of your favorite musical celebrities once they reach their career lifespan and their hit singles faze out? Some, surprisingly have capitalized on new tech ventures that proved to be more lucrative than the major recording contract that they have inked years ago.
Forbes has recently linked with the likes of MC Hammer, Chammillionare, Dr. Dre and more to discuss how there extensive knowledge and expertise has provided vital to some of the most successful computer and technology companies in Silicon Valley, California.
According to Forbes Online, "MC Hammer, a.k.a. rapper Stanley Kirk Burrell has been a frequent guest at tech events in Silicon Valley with the likes of Ron Conway. Hammer also was an advisor to start-up DanceJam.com. Hammer here is seated with Conway in the audience during a town hall meeting with President Barack Obama, Wednesday, April 20, 2011, at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Califorina". Burrell, whom at one time was a Computer Science major at the University of Oakland, then transferring to University of Southern California has created computer software for programs for both Dell and Apple interfaces.
Forbes also states that, "Chamillionaire has become a regular at Silicon Valley tech conferences, where he says he wants to learn more about how new technology can affect the music industry. Most recently he attended the July 29 TechCrunch Crunchup at AOL in Palo Alto, Calif. He also has been a judge at a TechCrunch start-up conference" Will I Am of Black Eyed Peas has also benefited within the tech world, by becoming the director of creative innovation for Intel, Inc. this past January.
The one man that proved the most lucrative off of a technology venture thusfar would have to be Dr. Dre.
Super producer Dr. Dre and his company Beats Electronics will sell a 51% stake of the company to Taiwanese telephone maker HTC for $300 million dollars.
Beats Electronics is a venture between Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine and Interscope Records.
The company specializes in making high end headphones, which are customized for a variety of pop stars, who sell them to their fan base. In addition to the Beats by Dre line, Beats Electronics has made headphones for artists such as Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and others. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company was acquired to improve the sound quality on phones, music, video games and movies for HTC.
In a recent interview, “This will give us opportunity to innovate,” HTC Chief Executive Officer Peter Chou said. Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine will continue to run Beats Electronics.
Within the same interview Luke Williams, President of Beats Electronics stated this about Dre's Vision- “When Jimmy and Dre started this, they had a very specific vision of what Beats would be, It wasn't about headphones, it was about fixing the degradation of sound.” All of HTC's upcoming phones will come equipped with Beats headphones, as well as built in phone speakers.
Resources:
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehfk45fjdh/will-i-am/#gallerycontent
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903918104576500963658850274.html
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