Audio titan enters the music business
German firm Sennheiser to cement its position as industry leader with launch of record label
Sennheiser is eyeing new growth in the recorded music business, while buttressing its position as the audio industry leader in headsets for the professional and consumer markets across China.
"We're selling the biggest volume of high-end, audiophile headset products here than anywhere in the world," Sennheiser Greater China president Marc Vincent told the South China Morning Post.
Vincent said Sennheiser currently offers 220 different models, a wide portfolio that has helped boost its sales.
Data from research firm GfK showed the total market for headsets and mobile stereo headphones in the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan was US$504.51 million last year.
"Headsets and headphones are largely used as complementary accessories to smart mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets these days," said Gerard Tan, regional account director at GfK Asia.
But Sennheiser Greater China, which has about 110 employees and headquarters in Hong Kong and Beijing, is now also driving the group's potentially game-changing foray into the music business, with new record label Sennheiser Media.
"It started out as a branding project for us because there was a complete synergy with what we're doing. We manufacture high-quality microphones, headsets and studio monitors, and we also have all the production and reproduction materials. So adding the content in the middle allows us to bring our brand to an expertise level," Vincent said.