Music tech company Native Instruments enters preliminary insolvency

Music tech company Native Instruments has entered preliminary insolvency proceedings, according to Create Digital Music (CDM).

According to documents seen by CDM, Prof. Dr. Torsten Martini is listed as a preliminary insolvency administrator for the Berlin-based company and will see out the restructuring process.

CDM's report also highlights that its current status means Native Instruments’ “various assets” will be “sold off in some form”, with decisions in the hands of an administrator from outside of the company.

Since 2021, US private equity firm Francisco Partners has had a majority stake in Native Instruments. Soundwide was later forged as a merger between Native Instruments and three other tech companies: iZotope, Plugin Alliance, and Brainworx.

Later in 2023, Soundwide laid off 8% of its staff, pointing to a mass restructuring. While CDM notes that Native Instruments’ employees “should be supported in the short term”, they add that it could still affect those who work at the company.

Native Instruments was launched in 1999 as a developer, manufacturer, and supplier of music software and hardware used widely across the music industry, particularly for music production and DJing.

While the company is based in Berlin, it also has global offices in Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Paris, and Shenzhen. Its most famous hardware instruments include the Maschine controller and its series of MIDI controllers, named Kontrol.

[Via CDM]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on X