Beats' new investor

CASH FOR CACHE: Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre have found the deep-pocketed investor they were seeking for Beats Electronics. Carlyle Group, a DC-based private-equity firm, is investing $500 million for a minority stake in the company, The Wall Street Journal reports, The new investment values beats at more than $1 billion, significantly north of the roughly $600 million valuation put on the company by an investment from HTC two years ago. Carlyle will become a shareholder and is expected to take two of the six seats on Beats' board. HTC said today it has agreed to sell back its remaining stake in Beats for $265 million; it paid around $300 million for a majority stake in 2011. Iovine told the paper that the latest transactions reflect the company's "significant growth prospects," while Carlyle’s Sandra Horbach said her firm is "confident that Beats will continue to drive innovation and growth in the premium audio accessory market." (9/27a)