Boombotix Brings Fan-Funded Portable Speakers To Mobile Social Music [INTERVIEW]
Consumer electronics may not fall under
the typical “music tech” umbrella, but it continues to be a huge part of the greater
music business (in fact, the highest paid
musician of 2012, Dr. Dre, made the bulk of his earnings through his massively
popular Beats by Dre headphone line). While music fans may not always decide to
pay for the music itself, they’ll clearly pay for the multitude of hardware devices
in which to enjoy their music. Enter San Francisco-based portable speaker
company Boombotix: bringing a fashionable and highly functional twist to mobile and social music.
Boombotix has been gaining a lot of
traction as of late, most recently with the launch of their new Kickstarter project
to fund their latest portable speaker: the Boombot REX (shown below). In only two days, the
company soared past their Kickstarter goal of $27,000 and currently stands at over
$62,000 as of this writing.
Click image to enlarge:
Hypebot’s Hisham Dahud caught up with
Boombotix VP of Technology Ben Radler for a closer look at the company and their
latest fan-funded creation.
Hisham
Dahud:
When readers think and hear "music tech", they primarily think of it
in the context of software technologies
advancing the music space. Rare is it that we report on hardware, but you guys are doing something rather unique. What is
the mission behind Boombotix, and who are your core "users"?
Ben
Radler:
The mission behind Boombotix is to make music listening more social — our
products are designed to be used with friends while being active. Our brand is
rooted in the transient lifestyles of bike/skate/snow/surf culture, so our core
users have been outdoor, active individuals.
HD: When it comes
to consumer music products, the market seems to be basking over fashionable and
performance-oriented headphones (Beats, SOL REPUBLIC, etc). You guys are taking
slightly different and unique approach, by making the music an outwardly social one (as opposed to
headphones, which are intimate), while retaining a focus on style. Why did
you choose this route? Is there a void you saw that needed to be filled?
BR: The company
was founded on the creation of ultraportable speakers with a direct focus on
style and durability. This correlated to a direct need: to listen to music
without headphones while on the go. Stemming from the creation of the first
Boombot, all of our products are crafted under this ultraportable image:
rugged, rechargeable, and water resistant, yet loud enough to propel any
impromptu dance party. As such, we can market into the "wearable
technology" market, while also retaining our core bike/skate/surf/snow
brand identity.
HD: You guys
currently have Kickstarter campaign going for your latest creation, the Boombot
REX. What exactly is the Boombot REX, and how does it mark a new chapter for
Boombotix?
BR: The Boombot
REX begins a new chapter of Boombotix, as we're bringing the first truly
ultraportable 2.1 speaker system to market. The Boombot REX takes on a new
design aesthetic for Boombotix, yet it maintains all of the rugged
characteristics and built in clip. The audio of the Boombot REX is powered by
two 36mm drivers and a bass woofer, which provide a full spectrum of sound. The
Boombot REX also introduces 3-button track/volume controls, a noise-cancelling
microphone for handsfree calls, and Siri integration for iOS devices.
Click image to enlarge:
HD: Mobile social
music is a common trend among countless music startups, where people share
their musical tastes with friends integrating social networks and streaming
libraries. How does Boombotix (specifically the REX) aim to capture the
essence of mobile social music by taking it offline?
BR: The Boombot
REX is a mobile companion device, so you can stream your
Facebook-integrated-Spotify library wirelessly to your Boombot REX, and share
the tunes with your friends. Our goal is to seamlessly integrate our Boombot
products into one's active lifestyle, where they can share their musical tastes
with friends as they are together, rather than isolating themselves with
headphones.
HD: Do you
envision software and hardware integration for Boombotix products to bridge the
digital and physical worlds?
BR: We have heard
our customers' suggestions on how we can improve music sharing and listening
when using Boombotix products, and we are planning to introduce some very cool
technology next year.
HD: What else is
in store for Boombotix in 2013?
BR: The Boombot REX is just the beginning!
2013 is going to be our biggest year ever, with several additional all-new
product introductions. Stay tuned.
Check out the Boombotix REX Kickstarter campaign, and stay up to date by following them on Twitter @Boombotix.
—
Hisham Dahud is a Senior Writer for Hypebot.com. Additionally, he is a digital strategist for Fame House and an independent musician. Follow him on Twitter: @HishamDahud
