DJ setup using Native Instruments’ Traktor software, photo credit: IMAGO/Depositphotos
Berlin pumps out a lot of cutting-edge music, and behind the sounds the city produces is an industry that develops the tools and instruments that make it all possible. Earlier this year, one of the city’s largest and longest-running companies that develops such products, Native Instruments, entered preliminary insolvency proceedings. The company has shaped the modern music scene, especially in Berlin, for over 30 years. It now faces an uncertain future. But what does this mean for the rest of the city’s industry?
Founded back in 1996, Native Instruments revolutionised music production and digital DJing. It was responsible for making products used by the likes of Trent Reznor and Hans Zimmer, among others. It was also a breeding ground for talent. Several employees went on to start their own endeavours, notably Bernd Roggendorf who ended up co-founding Ableton.
Full disclosure: I worked at Native Instruments in the marketing department between 2016 and 2019. They were good and opulent times, resembling something like a scene from Mike Judge’s Silicon Valley. Office parties were grandiose and featured big-name performers, communal areas were well stocked with expensive drinks and snacks and international magazines were queuing up to write articles about the company.
DJ setup using Native Instruments’ Traktor software, photo credit: IMAGO/Depositphotos
So what happened? Sadly, the story behind Native Instruments isn’t a unique one. Earlier in 2025, Magix Software, one of the longest-running music and audio editing software companies in Berlin, also filed for insolvency. Moog Instruments closed its store on Treptower Straße, while Soundcloud underwent restructuring, preparing the company for a potential sale.
As is normally the case in Berlin, everything is changing, but that doesn’t mean that the music is going to stop.
It’s not just music technology, either. Ticketing company Koka36 also announced insolvency. This is also all happening right after the recent closures of clubs Watergate and SchwuZ, as well as the prominent musical instrument retailer JustMusic. Although each company has their own underlying reasons for their troubles, the high amount of closures and bankruptcies is indicative of a wider problem. Berlin is no longer a city of empty spaces and cheap rents, which was part of the environment that helped facilitate the prior success of these companies with the creative industry. The German economy has also been in a recession for over two years, and with less money in the economy, luxury products and lifestyle choices – like playing and producing music – are affected significantly.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Native Instruments will more than likely carry on in some capacity. The city is also home to a bunch of other niche, independent companies that are still innovating and pushing the boundaries of technology further. There’s also an endless roster of small modular and standard synth developers (who can be found at Superbooth next month) and a new wave of AI-forward companies such as Endel, Cyanite and Loudly, who are pushing creativity further. As is normally the case in Berlin, everything is changing, but that doesn’t mean that the music is going to stop.