To be frank, HTC didn’t need to buy Dr. Dre’s company, Beats Electronics, to earn street cred—the company has already built a strong reputation for its smartphones. But the company will acquire 51 percent controlling of Beats for $309 million. What’s behind the acquisition? READ MORE
Great news! Facebook and music-listening service Spotify will create a group listening feature for Facebook users. This will allow friends to set up “listening rooms” in which they can enjoy to the same music together, similar to what Turntable.fm and Listening Room (in Beta) now offer, says Wired’s Eliot Van Buskirk. READ MORE
Monday through Wednesday in New York City TechCrunch is holding its Disrupt Battlefield competition in which hopeful founders and entrepreneurs submit their young, unseen start-up companies for the opportunity to try winning the $50,000 prize while launching in front of an all-star panel made up of innovators, angel investors, venture capitalists and tech influencers. Monday featured three Battlefields: Disrupting Commerce, Disrupting Location and Disrupting Search and Discovery. These start-ups made presentations in the Disrupting Search and Discovery category: READ MORE
