Premium Headphones
High Tech Headphones, Half the Price: Culture Audio
If Joshua Simmons and Trenn Carnes are on the fence about trying to disrupt an industry with a new consumer retail product, they start with reverse engineering something already seeing record sales. In 2017, frustrated with the cost of Bluetooth-enabled premium headphones, they tackled a pair of Beats by Dre and found they could manufacture an identical product at minimal cost. Simmons and Carnes launched The Culture V1’s last fall, and they didn’t simply match the technology offered by premium brands at just $150 – they upped the ante with new features of their own.
How It’s Disrupting the Industry
The Culture V1’s are outfitted with a combination of smart features not fully bundled in the high-dollar brands: an ambient setting, sensors that automatically pause your tunes when you remove the headphones, and a swipe setting across the right ear-cap for changing the song or volume. Competing directly with BOSE, SONY, and Beats by Dre, the headphones also feature noise-canceling technology, are phone call ready, and handle 20 hours of wireless play before needing to be charged. “You’ll find a pair of SONYs that have the swipe sensors on the ear-cap and have the ambient setting, but they’re $450. You’ll find a pair of BOSE headphones that have the same noise-canceling qualities as ours, but you won’t get the features,” Simmons explains.
2018 in Review
Culture Audio formally launched in October 2018 and sold over 500 units in the first three months. The company also leaned into social media influencer marketing. Hip-hop disc jockey Tony Neal has been spotted online repping Culture Audio gear, as has rapper Ponce De’Leioun. Simmons and Carnes have also partnered with Compassion International, donating 10% of the net profit from each order.
Outlook for 2019
While they are now Amazon Choice Certified at Amazon.com, Simmons and Carnes anticipate retail placement is where they’ll make 75% of their sales long term. Their first contract is with InMotion Entertainment in airports nationwide. Culture Audio will also launch the headphones in a red and pink colorway this spring. Simmons says the team has even bigger innovation plans after that. “We’re about to surprise a lot of legacy brands in the industry.”