Pioneer DJ Corp Name Changes to ‘AlphaTheta,’ Creates Some Serious Confusion

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Pioneer DJ is changing its name to AlphaTheta. The name change is designed to reduce confusion, but DJ brands will retain the current branding. Here’s what’s going on.

AlphaTheta announced the news at the beginning of the new year. “Pioneer DJ Corporation has changed its company name to AlphaTheta Corporation,” the press release reads. “Our brands and brand names, including Pioneer DJ, will not be affected.”

Still confusing, right? So here are the basics. Pioneer DJ branded equipment isn’t going anywhere. But the company that makes it is now called AlphaTheta. Pioneer, meanwhile, will solely focus on non-DJ and pro-audio brands for automobiles and other consumer-facing brands.

The king is dead. Long live the king. All joking aside, the move makes sense. Google did something similar back in 2015 when it renamed itself Alphabet. Google then became a subsidiary of Alphabet as a parent company.

Pioneer Corp spun off its line of DJ equipment into Pioneer DJ back in 2014. The separate company was then bought by a private equity firm, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. for $549 million. Pioneer Corp. only retained a 15% stake in the newly formed company, but it sold that share in May 2019.

The corporate name change does something similar for AlphaTheta. Pioneer and Pioneer DJ are now two separate entities, but they are often confused. The change isn’t related to any merger, sale, or reorganization of the company.

Since Pioneer and Pioneer DJ are two separate entities now, the name change helps reflect that. Keeping the branding for DJ products retains familiarity for the consumer, too. But why did they pick AlphaTheta?

The press release says, “Music can guide the human brain into extremely powerful states of mind. AlphaTheta refers to the brain wave frequencies achieved in these peak states. Our vision is to use our innovative technologies to enables and enrich these peak moments.”