Skullcandy Inc. is an American company based in

Park City, Utah Park City is a city in Utah, United States. The vast majority is in Summit County, and it extends into Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City' ...

, that markets

headphones Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an au ...

, earphones, hands-free devices, audio backpacks,

MP3 players A portable media player (PMP) (also including the related digital audio player (DAP)) is a portable consumer electronics device capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, and video files. The data is typically stored o ...

, and other products.

Products

Skullcandy's products are primarily targeted at the outdoor action sports

demographic Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...

(

snowboarders Snowboards are boards where the user places both feet, usually secured, to the same board. The board itself is wider than most skis, with the ability to glide on snow."snowboarding." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 Mar ...

skateboarders Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. S ...

, etc.) and general consumer market, but they have expanded in recent years into the premium audio market with products such as the Crusher headphones. Skullcandy products are sold through retailers, specialty outlets, corporate incentive programs and the company's online store.

Company history

Skullcandy was founded by

Rick Alden Richard P. "Rick" Alden (born July 4, 1964 in Baltimore, Maryland) is the founder and former CEO of Skullcandy, Inc., Device Step-In Snowboard Bindings, Stance Socks, and co-founder of Plus550 LLC. Education and career While studying at the Uni ...

and Cris Williams in 2003. The first Skullcandy product, the Skullcandy Portable Link, was introduced at the 2003

International Consumer Electronics Show CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event typi ...

(CES) in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. The LINK system combines headphones with hands-free cellular

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

, allowing users to listen to music from a portable audio device, while making and receiving calls through their cellphone. Skullcandy holds a patent for the wireless version of LINK technology. In December 2008, Skullcandy products were described as "the world's coolest ear bud," by ''Fortune'' magazine. In April 2011, Skullcandy purchased headphones manufacturer

Astro Gaming ASTRO Gaming is an American consumer electronics manufacturer specializing in video gaming headsets, peripherals, and accessories. Overview ASTRO Gaming’s predecessor, Astro Studios, partnered with Microsoft on the industrial design for the ...

from

Astro Studios Astro Studios is an American design firm in San Francisco, California, United States. The company designed the original Compaq IPAQ Pocket PC, Alienware Computers and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 accessories. In 1999, Astro Studios receiv ...

for an unknown amount of cash. On January 28, 2011, Skullcandy filed for an

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...

with the

Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...

. This announcement was met with some criticism from financial press. On June 24, 2016, Incipio, a maker of phone cases, wireless speakers, and other accessories, announced plans to acquire Skullcandy for $177million; however, the deal later fell through as Incipio refused to submit a proposed amendment to the merger agreement and Skullcandy terminated the agreement. Skullcandy considered numerous other offers, eventually agreeing to be acquired by Mill Road Capital for $196.9million at $6.35 per share. The deal was finalized and completed on October 3, 2016, and the company became a private business again.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Corporate site

Bloomberg Private Company profile for Skullcandy
American companies established in 2003 Electronics companies established in 2003 Manufacturing companies based in Utah Headphones manufacturers Park City, Utah 2003 establishments in Utah Audio equipment manufacturers of the United States Privately held companies based in Utah Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq