Beatnik (company)

Beatnik
Company typePrivate
IndustryAudio technology
Founded1993; 31 years ago (1993) in California, United States
Founders
DefunctDecember 2011; 12 years ago (2011-12)
FateDissolved
Headquarters60 E 3rd Ave, ,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Don Millers
ProductsBeatnik
Websitewww.beatnik.com (defunct)

Beatnik, Inc., founded as Headspace, Inc., was a company that specialized in interactive audio technology. It was founded by musician Thomas Dolby in 1993 along with co-founder Mary Coller. It is best known for its Beatnik technology, which was used to provide sound in small file sizes on websites[1] and later in billions of phones during the 2000s to play polyphonic ringtones,[2] with its key clients being Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, and various other manufacturers. During its earlier years it also produced music for video games such as Cyberia and Obsidian.[3]

  1. ^ Orwall, Bruce (March 20, 1997). "Shockwave? GIF Animations? Isn't It Time to Bring the Noise?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  2. ^ Weiss, David (October 1, 2018). "Thomas Dolby: Challenging Audio to Take The Next Step at AES 2018". SonicScoop. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  3. ^ Karon, Paul (January 27, 1997). "Music to His Ears". Los Angeles Times.