Audio giant HARMAN has acquired audio technology company, Roon, a music management, discovery, and streaming platform.
HARMAN, whose portfolio of brands in the audio industry include AKG, Bang & Olufsen, Harman Kardon, Infinity Audio and JBL, was acquired by Samsung Electronics for $8 billion in March 2017.
Roon operates a music player that claims to be compatible “with any audio device” and a “playback engine designed to deliver the best possible sound”.
Additionally, Roon manufactures a line of hardware server appliances called Nucleus, which is designed to enhance the performance of the Roon platform.
Following the acquisition, Roon will continue its operations as a standalone business within HARMAN, maintaining its existing team and operational structure.
HARMAN added that it intends to grow Roon’s open device ecosystem, facilitating collaborations with over 160 audio brands and supporting more than 1,000 high-performance devices.
“At HARMAN we take great pride in our ability to create exceptional audio experiences for our partners and consumers around the world,” said Dave Rogers, President, Lifestyle Division, HARMAN.
“The team at Roon shares our passion in bringing exceptional sound and connectivity to music lovers as they browse, discover, and listen at home and on the go.
“We are looking forward to welcoming Roon, whose impressive talent will join the HARMAN family and bolster our already robust engineering capabilities.”
“The team at Roon shares our passion in bringing exceptional sound and connectivity to music lovers as they browse, discover, and listen at home and on the go.”
Dave Rogers, HARMAN
Commenting on the acquisition, Roon CEO Enno Vandermeer said: “Our team is ecstatic to join HARMAN, a visionary company that has been leading the audio industry forward for decades.”
“By combining forces with HARMAN, Roon gains the incredible scale, resources, and reach of a global technology leader, while maintaining our independence to invest in the business’s growth and future.”
Enno Vandermeer, ROON
Added Vandermeer: “By combining forces with HARMAN, Roon gains the incredible scale, resources, and reach of a global technology leader, while maintaining our independence to invest in the business’s growth and future.
“We look forward to continuing to bring our advanced data management, SaaS expertise, and consumer engagement capabilities to our broad ecosystem of partners, as we join forces with HARMAN to deliver even greater audio experiences to our customers.”
Music Business Worldwide
