March 30, 2018
Sony Corporation of America25 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022-3211
To Whom It May Concern,
My name is Win Cramer, CEO of JLab Audio. I’m writing to say thank you. Or specifically, I’m writing to say thank you to Mr. Masaru Ibuka (Sony Cofounder), Mr. Norio Ohga (Executive Deputy President), and Chairman Akio Morita. As the story goes, Mr. Ibuka travelled often for business and had to lug around a large cassette recorder to listen to music. He challenged Ohga to create a portable, listen only tape playing device, and with that idea the Walkman was born.
When the first Walkman was sold in the US in 1980, I didn’t buy one. Rather I stole my dad’s original Walkman in 1984 – with the bright orange foam earpads and all. 1984 was an amazing year. The LA Olympics were taking place, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” had just been released, and as a kid with a bike, what was cooler than riding around with a Walkman duct taped to your handlebars? I could argue that was the moment I fell in love with electronics. That was the moment music became a constant part of my life. That was THE moment.
Over time I had several Walkman’s, my most favorite being the yellow sport version I got for Christmas in 1990, although the earbuds that shipped with it never fit in my ears. I still preferred the headphone with the bright orange foam earpads. Over time the Walkman transitioned to the Discman which transitioned to the iPod and now the iPhone. Since 1984 much of the music I listen to today has remained the same but the delivery method of the music has changed over and over again. Now I stream music via Spotify to my Android phone which pushes a Bluetooth signal carrying the sounds of “Born in the USA” to my in-ear JLab Epic earbuds. Often, I still get the same feeling of riding my bike, without a care in the world, listening to music.
In this spirit I wanted to go back. I wanted the memories to be even stronger. So, we at JLab Audio, created the Rewind Wireless Retro Headphone. It’s a nod to the past while enjoying the present and future. A wireless Bluetooth version of the headphone with hints of the original. The Rewind headphone comes with a 12-hour battery life, custom EQ3 sound, an awesome lightweight metal band, and of course the bright orange foam earpads that made this product so noticeable.
I write this to say thank you. In some ways Sony helped plant a seed that continues to grow. I write to say thank you for creating a spark within a kid that continues to burn. I write to say thank you for introducing me to music. I hope, in time, JLab can have the same impact.
Thank you, Sony.
Win Cramer
CEO, JLab Audio