IB tease" Iovine

FULL-COURT PRESS: Jimmy Iovine has masterfully utilized prime-time TV via the highly rated NBA Playoffs to exploit the symbiotic relationship between IGA and Beats, I.B. Bad notes in his latest column, posting Friday morning. The savvy marketing of Beats’ audio products in combination with exposure of the label group’s repertoire has reached critical mass during the postseason, providing both with serious traction while fueling a pair of smashes: Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” (selling at a brisk clip) and Imagine Dragons’ ubiquitous “Radioactive” (3.3m, with the album at 1.05m). It hasn’t hurt that LeBron James is also shilling on behalf of Beats headphones in spots that have regularly aired during the postseason on TNT, ESPN and now ABC. Insiders say Iovine is fully reengaged and motivated to innovate once again now that John Janick is managing the label with such remarkable effectiveness. More on this topic and other talking points tomorrow morning. (6/20a)