A Major Music Software Company Just Got Bought. Here's What That Means

inMusic Brands has agreed to buy Native Instruments, a Berlin-based company that makes software tools for making music. Native Instruments creates popular programs like Kontakt (a tool for playing recorded sounds), Reaktor (a place to build your own digital instruments), and Traktor (software for DJs). The deal was announced April 30 by both companies.

inMusic already owns a bunch of music hardware companies — Akai, Moog Music, Alesis, and others. This acquisition adds Native Instruments' software to the mix, combining music software and music hardware under one roof.

Combining Software and Hardware

For a long time, Native Instruments focused mainly on software — programs you buy and use on your computer. But the company also made controllers (physical devices that let you control the software with knobs and buttons).

inMusic's companies, by contrast, are known for their hardware: physical instruments and devices. But many of them now include software too.

What this deal does is bring both sides together. Think of it like a restaurant that specialized in takeout merging with a restaurant that specialized in sit-down dining. Now the combined business can serve both kinds of customers better, and they might discover new ways to work together.

For you as a music maker, the potential upside is simpler: software and hardware from the same company might work more smoothly together, without you having to jump through technical hoops to make them talk to each other.

Why Companies Keep Buying Other Companies in Music Tech

This is not the first time we've seen this happen in music technology. About 20 years ago, Yamaha bought Steinberg (a music software company), and other companies have done similar deals. The pattern shows up because the business of making music has changed.

These days, people making music want everything to fit together seamlessly — their software instruments, their physical controllers, their audio cables, all of it. No single company can dominate that entire space alone, so buying companies that are strong in areas where you're weak makes sense.

The fact that inMusic is now buying Native Instruments, a software specialist, tells you that having both software and hardware is what matters now.

Competition and Control

There's another reason inMusic wanted to buy Native Instruments: control over their own software tools.

Right now, inMusic owns DJ equipment brands like Denon DJ and Rane. These hardware devices can work with different DJ software programs, including Serato (made by a different company). If another company buys Serato, that could create tension — the new owner might favor their own hardware partners and make Serato harder for inMusic's equipment to work with.

By owning Native Instruments' Traktor (DJ software), inMusic now has its own software platform. That gives the company more control over its own destiny.

What Might Happen Next

With both Native Instruments' software and inMusic's hardware brands now under one company, there are obvious opportunities. Akai's physical music production controllers could work even more tightly with Native Instruments' software. Moog Music's expertise in analog synthesis (making sounds with electronic circuits) could shape how Native Instruments builds better digital instruments. The reverse applies too — Native Instruments' software smarts could help Moog design future hybrid instruments that blend analog circuits and digital control.

The companies have not yet announced a detailed plan for how they will integrate their products. But for existing users of both brands, the promise is that everything will eventually fit together more naturally.

What This Means for Music Makers

The music software and hardware market has been growing — more people are making music on computers now than ever before. This merged company becomes one of the most complete providers in that space, covering everything from entry-level tools for beginners to specialized equipment for professionals.

For someone just starting to make music, the upside is clear: simpler, more integrated tools. For professionals, it means a company big enough to invest in keeping pace with what's new.

The real test will come in the months ahead, when both companies start showing how their products will work together. That's when we'll know whether this deal truly makes things simpler for musicians or whether it just reshuffles ownership.