inMusic Acquires Native Instruments Published on May 8, 2026

Exciting acquisition strengthens long-standing partnership, uniting complementary hardware and software expertise for creators worldwide


Berlin, May 8th, 2026 — inMusic and Native Instruments today announced that inMusic has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Native Instruments, the Berlin-based music technology company behind some of the most widely used creative tools in music production.

Native Instruments is the developer of industry-defining platforms including Kontakt, the world's leading sampler platform, Traktor, the professional DJ platform of choice, as well as the mastering and audio production tools iZotope, Plugin Alliance, and Brainworx. With a direct relationship with over 25 million registered users, Native Instruments has built one of the most engaged communities for creators, worldwide.

inMusic Brands is one of the most experienced music technology companies in the world, home to Akai Professional, Moog Music, Denon DJ, Numark, Rane, M-Audio and more. Founded in 1992, inMusic has spent three decades building and growing the brands that musicians, producers, and DJs rely on every day.


The acquisition builds on a strong and established relationship between the two companies. In 2025, inMusic and Native Instruments announced a landmark collaboration bringing NKS integration to Akai Pro's MPK controllers, M-Audio's Oxygen controllers, and Native Instruments’ sounds to the MPC standalone platform for the first time — a partnership that demonstrated the complementary strengths and shared values of both organisations.

“Native Instruments represents everything we look for in a partner: exceptional products, a deeply engaged community, and a clear point of view on what musicians want,” said Jack O’Donnell, CEO of inMusic. “Our work together has already shown how strong this combination can be. Bringing these platforms together allows us to move faster, deepen integration, and build better tools for creators.”

"Every brand in the inMusic family was built by people who love music, and every decision we make is guided by what musicians want,” O'Donnell added. “It is what Native Instruments has always stood for too. That shared belief is the foundation of everything we will build together. Our commitment is simple: continued investment across all brands and product lines, and a long-term focus on innovation that serves creators at every level. The tools you rely on today will keep working, and the tools you will rely on tomorrow are actively being built."

"Finding the right partner has been our goal throughout this process," said Nick Williams, CEO of Native Instruments. "With inMusic we have found a partner whose beliefs and ambitions align with ours — and whose understanding of what these brands mean to musicians and producers gives us real confidence in what comes next. This is the beginning of a new chapter for Native Instruments and for the community that has stood with us. ”

Business continues normally across all Native Instruments brands and territories. Products, services, platforms, and customer support remain fully available. The companies are working towards the transaction completing in the coming weeks, subject to customary closing conditions.

Further information on integration plans will be shared as the process progresses. A full statement from Nick Williams, CEO of Native Instruments, is available at blog.native-instruments.com
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About inMusic
inMusic is a Rhode Island-based music technology company whose portfolio includes Akai Professional, Alesis, Alto Professional, Denon DJ, Denon Professional, ION Audio, M-Audio, Moog Music, Numark and Rane. Founded in 1992, inMusic is dedicated to developing quality performance and production instruments for musicians across the globe.

About Native Instruments
For more than 30 years, Native Instruments has been at the center of musical innovation. The company has created communities, pushed technological boundaries, and opened new creative horizons for enthusiasts and professionals alike. Today, driven by their mission to make music creation more inclusive and accessible, the company's hardware, software across Native Instruments, iZotope and Plugin Alliance brands, provide fully-integrated solutions for musicians, producers, and DJs of all genres and levels of experience.

Media contacts: Native Instruments: [email protected]
inMusic Brands: [email protected]

Source: www.inmusicbrands.com/press/inmusic-native/

 

https://weraveyou.com/2026/05/native-instruments-inmusic-brands-acquisition/

Well then..

 

I think this could be pretty good news, better than some private equity firm that has zero clue. At least inMusic knows the industry and knows how to manage music development companies. Regardless of how anyone feels about it, I think this is the best outcome anyone could have hoped for, which isnt saying much but we'll see.

My hope is that they use this as an opportunity to hit the reset button, trim the fat and put more focus into development. Maschine definitely needs this and as a long time Maschine user, I would be over the moon if they push towards a standalone version that can actually compete with the MPC.

MORE INFO:
https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/50747/native-instruments-joins-inmusic-faqs

 

Last edited: May 8, 2026 at 1:01 PM

It remembers when i was sad Olympus sold his camera section (one of the best camera maker) to a japanese conglomerate.
On the other side, they continue making good products so ...

 

This exactly. Doesn't guarantee anything, but much better prospects with a company that is in the music industry. Compared with the fuckers of private equity firms and the like.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a wave of layoff at NI in the coming months.

 

I think that this is very good news for lots of people!!

 

...or inMusic can just turn NI into nothing more than a supplier of sample packs for MPC. We will see...

 

THE NEW LOGO:

 

I’m all in for this acquisition, I just pray inmusic doesn’t become a monopoly because it will possibly collapse but I doubt they can acquire Korg at this rate, maybe now it’ll help secure a nice long life for the company as they were already in insolvency and have collaborated with the mpc ecosystem already

 

I wonder what Dirk knew?

 

what does it mean for protection
will we still have a kontakt portable?

 

Dirk Ulrich has left Native Instruments - March 1, 2024

Dirk Ulrich, founder and face of Brainworx and Plugin Alliance, has left the Native Instruments group and no longer has an active role in the company.

Update: This will now be purely a news article without a major part of opinion. A lot of people want that. My analysis and impression of the current situation are in a real talk article.
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The last 3 years have been anything but quiet for Native Instruments and all other companies that are in the group of the same name. The impetus for these times was the announcement in 2021 that private investment firm Francisco Partners had acquired a majority stake in Native Instruments.

Then the brands NI, iZotope, Brainworx and Plugin Alliance merged in one. What followed was a name change fiasco to Soundwide and back to Native Instruments. In addition, 8% of the team was laid off due to a challenging market situation. All events that leave you with an uneasy feeling about the NI group and it’s future.



Source and Read more: https://synthanatomy-com.translate....l=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/50747/native-instruments-joins-inmusic-faqs

We know you have questions. Here are the ones we’re hearing most.

1. What’s happening?

Native Instruments has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by inMusic — the company behind Akai Professional, Moog Music, Denon DJ, Numark, Rane, M-Audio and more. This is a positive outcome for the business and the community we serve.

2. Will Native Instruments go away or become “inMusic”?

No. Native Instruments continues as a brand under new ownership — and the products, platforms, and community that define it continue with it.

3. What does this mean for the products I use?

Nothing changes for you today. Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance, Brainworx — all of it continues. Your products, licences, downloads, and subscriptions remain fully active. Our teams are here, building and supporting every day.

4. Will my existing licences be affected?

No. Your licences are unaffected. No action required.

5. What about my subscription?

No immediate changes. Your subscription continues as normal. We will always communicate any updates in advance.

6. What does this mean for Kontakt and the NKS ecosystem?

Kontakt continues as the industry’s leading sampler platform. The NKS ecosystem and our third party developer and hardware partner relationships continue. We will share more about integration plans as we have confirmed information.

7. What about Maschine? Traktor? iZotope?

All of our products and platforms continue under new ownership. Integration planning is underway and we will share more about the product roadmap as we have confirmed information.

8. Will Native Instruments stay in Berlin?

Native Instruments has called Berlin home for thirty years. We will share more about integration plans as we have confirmed information.

9. Why inMusic?

Finding the right partner has been our goal throughout this process. inMusic has been a partner to Native Instruments since 2024 — our NKS collaboration gave us a firsthand understanding of how they operate and what they stand for. They have the resources, the reach, and the decades of experience to take these brands forward.

10. What comes next?

This partnership opens a new chapter for Native Instruments and for the tools you rely on every day. Integration planning is underway and we will share more as we have confirmed information — through our blog, through our community channels, and directly with partners and developers. The next chapter is just beginning and we cannot wait to show you what we build together.

 

InMusic, where once good brands go to die.
RIP Native instruments and goodbye.

 

Why would they...to compete with their flagship product?

 

I wonder how much they paid to buy NI.

 

Probably a couple years to go before inMusic gets around to looking at that? Native Instruments didn't get much meaningful integration/change done in the 4 years they spent with brainworx, Izotope, Plugin Alliance under the Soundwide umbrella.