inMusic will acquire Native Instruments, joining the portfolio with Akai and Moog

Superbooth 2026: inMusic has today announced the acquisition of Native Instruments, including all subbrands such as iZotope, Plugin Alliance, and Brainworx.

The second day of Superbooth 2026 began quietly—until a piece of news made the rounds that became the topic of the day: Native Instruments has a new home.

Jack O’Donnell’s inMusic will, in all likelihood, acquire Native Instruments in the coming weeks. The final signatures are still pending; therefore, it is not yet a finalized acquisition.

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.

inMusic Native Instruments

It is gratifying to hear that the lengthy discussions with interested parties have now proven successful.

The number of non-private equity firms capable of shouldering the financial stakes here is limited. These companies, like Yamaha, Focusrite, and inMusic, ultimately won the race.

I could have imagined new tech companies like Splice or Landr doing this as well—though I’m not sure if they could financially pull it off. Now, inMusic has acquired Native Instruments—or is in the process of doing so, as the ink hasn’t yet dried on all the documents.

You can be for it or against it. I think it is more welcome that inMusic plans to acquire the Berlin-based company rather than another private equity firm playing the same game as the others.

Given that NI had already worked closely with Akai in 2025—integrating the Play Series into the standalone MPCs and NKS into their MIDI controllers—this acquisition makes even more sense. One could almost believe that this move from 2025 served as a teaser for what would later become reality.

“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.”

If you look back ten years, would you have believed that industry giants like Moog, Native Instruments, Sequential, and Oberheim would no longer be independent entities, but rather part of even larger corporations? Crazy to see. 

More Than Native Instruments

The name Native Instruments always comes up in this context; however, Jack O’Donnell’s brand will be taking over all the companies operating under the NI umbrella in the future: iZotope, Plugin Alliance, and Brainworx.

Not just brands: inMusic will also acquire a massive software catalog—including the Komplete bundle with best-sellers like Kontakt, Massive, and Reaktor, as well as mastering tools such as Ozone, RX, and more.

This will massively expand inMusic’s software portfolio. Air Music Tech—their in-house brand—simply couldn’t compete with these.

It will be interesting to see how Native Instruments is integrated into inMusic—whether products are dropped from the portfolio, or even appear within other products (such as elements of Kontakt or Massive showing up in the MPC, etc.).

Yes, we have in-house competing products: MPC vs Maschine, or Komplete vs Akai/M-Audio/Alesis MIDI controllers. And what will happen to more niche products like Reaktor?

“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.” 

Just as interesting—if not even more so—are the employees. What happens next here? Will operations continue with the same team, or will the work at NI be taken over by existing inMusic staff, forcing the others to make way? 

“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.

If everything goes according to plan, Native Instruments will soon have a new home at inMusic. This is good news. The company lives on. The future will tell us what inMusic’s plans with NI are. 

More information here: Native Instruments 

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