Native Instruments acquired by technology investor, plans “end-to-end” music creation platform
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Technology investor Francisco Partners has acquired majority ownership of Native Instruments with plans to create an “end-to-end user centric platform for the music creation industry”. As part of the deal, investor EMH Partners and Native Instruments’ founders become minority shareholders. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021.
Native Instruments setting up for the future
While the news may sound troubling to some, the Berlin-based manufacturer seems to be in a good place at the moment. Following EMH Partners’ major investments in 2017 and 2020, Native Instruments experienced significant growth in its revenues, partnerships, and monthly active users. The recent past saw co-founder and former CEO Daniel Haver step down to make room for new blood and the long-awaited release of the standalone Maschine+. It must have been the right time to put the company in the hands of a global investment firm that’s able to back its future with business know-how and major capital.
The changes in leadership have already produced some ambitious goals. The company wants to consolidate its products and industry influence into a singular platform for seamless music making experience. NI already indicated that it’s going in this direction with the launch of Native Access and the Sounds.com audio library. The probable next step is tying together Maschine, Komplete, and Traktor into a cohesive ecosystem of services, software and hardware. There’s lots of potential in this endeavour, so it will be interesting to watch the company pull it off over time. If Francisco Partners has its head and heart in the right place and NI employees get to have their say, the manufacturer could become a dominant force in music technology and the broader music industry. Here’s to what will hopefully turn out to be a strong start to a new era for Native Instruments.
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17 responses to “Native Instruments acquired by technology investor, plans “end-to-end” music creation platform”
Welp.
This is how the destruction of companies begins. Assets stripped and licensing deals and high salaries to a few. It will be interesting to watch.
I think you are the winner since Native Instruments is listed as owning property or long term leases in Berlin, Paris, London, Las Angeles, and Tokyo. What the price of office space in those five cities? Millions to 10 of millions that’s the price.
Only time will tell…
Though they should refine their software further more instead of constantly popping out new things.
So much work left to do be done on the Maschine software.
Though if they would consider a DAW / Ableton link like software program that gives opportunity to create a real DAW that binds Komplete Maschine and Traktor. I can’t wait!
What I’d love to see is adding video capabilities to Traktor
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/08/25/this-malware-sold-to-governments-helped-them-spy-on-iphones/ Quite a divergence for an investor such as Francisco Partners wanting a humble audio company.
My question is how will thus new endeavor affect long time users of post and current products???
As long as they don’t push a subscription model for Komplete I am looking forward to what they do.
Stand alone Traktor. Linux base make the system upgradable CPU, Mem hot swappable. Same with the drive one Os the other music / recordings. USB or sd recording. Make it like the s8. We live in a digital world no spinning disk require. Let go of the past lead in the future. I would make one system 4 channels layout but have 8 channels. Live production baby. DJ , synth , drum machine, singer. All in one unit. Hire me I’ll help. I’ve been playing dance music since 86. Used plenty of midi gear since.
Add features. Dance a deck lets you use vst allow traktor vst as effects or use a synth or drum machine on the channel. Real midi and USB midi host. Midi 2.0.
I was thinking the same stand alone tracktor and Maschine studio + Jam + but they need to do what Akai is not the sonics give a true SP 1200 AD DA converters with the filters and more effects like the SP 404Mk 2 from Roland and audio tracks dont forget komplete +
Customer Service!!! Customer Service!!!!!!!Please improve on that issue!!! NI is the Bomb …Great Company… need Real People to help walk – throughs on Problems!!! Thank You… Cheers….
Golly, maybe they’ll do as well as Toys ‘R’ Us!
Looking forward to new and exciting things. Yes please customer service!
This is a good time to do a final upgrade of Komplete. Adobe has created a successful model with their CC subscription and Komplete is an excellent candidate for that sort of thing.
I would expect a more “consumer” focused business model less focused on professional use. These companies are in the business of maximising profit through mass appeal to the lowest common denominator.
You’re way too optimistic for such an announcement…
Goodby NI. It was a great time but all good times have an end.
I agree with others that think this will lead to bad things.
I was considering a new investment in NI hardware and software, but will hold off on that. It seems they are already offering a subscription for Komplete now.
This new business model is not for me.
I also worry about older kontakt based libraries in the future.
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