NI after NI: which brand is where, and who owns whom

Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance, and Brainworx being part of inMusic? That was early May; now only NI remains at inMusic. 2026′ mergers and acquisitions have come so fast, you practically need a reference to keep up. So… let’s do just that. It’s part of a larger pattern of ownership changes and layoffs across every part of the music instrument business.

Unreal Engine 5.8 is a major audio release, despite Epic staffing cuts

Epic layoffs in March cut deep into the audio and music teams. But there’s hope that their work will live on in Unreal Engine and MetaSounds, via what is arguably the most innovative sound work built into any game engine. Unreal Engine 5.8, now in preview, features a bunch of powerful tools for working with sound, one of the biggest sound releases yet. Here’s a look at what’s in that roadmap.

Peter Kirn - June 1, 2026

Bandcamp layoffs reportedly cut deep into customer service

The other shoe has dropped: yesterday, following the sale of Bandcamp from Epic to Songtradr, around half of the company’s existing staff were laid off. That’s leading more folks to start talking about alternatives.

Peter Kirn - October 18, 2023

Moog Music releases statement on layoffs

Peter Kirn - September 28, 2023

Moog Music layoffs provoke dismay in synth community

Peter Kirn - September 24, 2023

SoundCloud to cut approximately 1 in 5 employees worldwide

Peter Kirn - August 3, 2022

Where is NI headed? Some official and unofficial answers

Peter Kirn - September 4, 2019

Native Instruments cuts 20% of workforce, moves to ‘platform’ strategy

Peter Kirn - September 4, 2019