File:Understanding Conflict and Failure Through Music Subculture - Luke Wood - TEDx

Beats by Dr. Dre President Luke Wood transports us back to 1984, in the midst of his indie-rock-loving teenagehood. As he sifts through bands that carried him through his adolescence, Wood discusses the lessons and values he learned from embracing counterculture. Luke Wood is president of Beats by Dr. Dre, a premium brand of headphones and speakers, which was acquired by Apple in 2014. A producer, guitarist and music industry vet with more that 20 years of experience, Luke has been involved with Beats since its early days, officially joining the company in 2011. Prior to that, Luke served as Chief Strategy Officer of Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA) and President of the imprint DGC Records, where he worked with artists including Weezer, All American Rejects, Rise Against, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, among many others. He began his career with Geffen Records in 1991 as a Director of Publicity, representing such bands as Nirvana and Sonic Youth.

A lifelong songwriter and musician, Luke signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Group in 1996 and that same year his band, Sammy, released its third album, Tales of Great Neck Glory, on Geffen/DGC Records. In August 2014, Luke joined the Board of Directors for Fender Musical Instruments alongside U2’s Bono and The Edge. Luke earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University with a major in American Studies. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx