The months-long uncertainty over the future of Native Instruments has ended with a deal that will reshape a significant corner of the music software world. inMusic, the Rhode Island-based group behind Alesis, Akai Professional, Moog Music, Denon DJ, Numark, Rane and M-Audio, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Berlin company, bringing an end to an insolvency process that digitalDrummer has been tracking since January.
A strategic fit — with one intriguing question
The acquisition is not without precedent. The two companies established a working relationship in 2025, when a collaboration brought NKS integration to Akai Pro’s MPK and M-Audio’s Oxygen controllers, and placed NI sounds on the MPC standalone platform for the first time. That partnership now looks like an early signal of what a closer union might achieve.
For drum and sample developers, the inMusic acquisition is arguably the most reassuring outcome available. inMusic has a track record of preserving and investing in the brands it acquires, and CEO Jack O’Donnell has been unambiguous, promising “continued investment across all brands and product lines, and a long-term focus on innovation that serves creators at every level”.
But the deal raises one question that will be particularly interesting to the e-drumming community. inMusic is the owner of BFD, one of the most respected drum VSTs on the market. Native Instruments, through Kontakt, hosts a significant ecosystem of third-party drum libraries and instruments, many of which compete directly with BFD. How those two worlds co-exist under the same corporate roof, and whether inMusic chooses to favour, integrate or simply leave them to compete, will be worth watching closely.
Nick Williams, who has steered NI through the insolvency process, addressed the community directly in a statement that balanced relief with gratitude. “After three months of hard work, and three months of extraordinary loyalty from you, I am pleased to share that a definitive agreement has now been signed,” he wrote. He was emphatic that nothing stops: “The products, platforms, and brands you rely on continue. Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance, Brainworx — all of it continues. Our teams continue to build, ship, and support every day.”
Williams also acknowledged the weight of what the community had carried through the uncertainty. “The loyalty you have shown us through one of the most challenging periods in Native Instruments’ history is something we will not forget.”
Business continues normally across all NI brands and territories. The transaction is expected to close in the coming weeks, subject to customary conditions.
Integration plans are yet to be disclosed.
How we got here
Native Instruments filed for preliminary insolvency on 27 January, triggering a court-supervised restructuring process that sent immediate ripples through the drum and sample software community. As digitalDrummer reported at the time, third-party Kontakt developers were watching closely for any impact on the platform they depend on.
In March, Williams confirmed the transition to formal insolvency proceedings while stressing that operations remained unaffected. He also disclosed that an active acquisition process was underway, with “strong interest from multiple parties with deep roots in audio and technology”. Plugin Alliance confirmed that its US and German operating entities sat outside the insolvency proceedings, though German holding structures connected to the wider group were involved.
Through the uncertainty, NI continued to operate and develop, launching Komplete 26, its latest flagship production bundle, and exhibiting at the Superbooth show in Berlin.
The inMusic deal closes the chapter that opened in January. The more interesting question — what the combined portfolio actually becomes — is only just beginning.
digitalDrummer will continue to monitor developments.