Apple rumored to have purchased Italian music editing startup
New evidence suggests Apple has purchased Redmatica, a startup company from Italy that makes music editing software.
The source of the information a report issued on Wednesday by Italian blog Fanpage (via TechCrunch). Evidence of the purchase came from Italian antitrust regulator AGCOM, which revealed in a bulletin published this week that Apple intends to acquire the company through a transfer of assets.
The small company builds a number of music editing applications, including Keymap Pro, AutoSampler, ProManager, and GBSamplerManager. Redmatica is based in Correggio, a small town of less than 25,000 people located in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. As of Wednesday afternoon, its website is still online, but makes no mention of any deal with Apple.
Redmatica's sampling software allows musicians to connect with EXS24, Kontakt 3 and 4, Structure and Reason samplers, along with Apple's own GarageBand application for the iPad. All of its products are written for Apple's Mac OS X operating system.
If Apple did in fact purchase Redmatica, the company's software developers could fit in with Apple's own Logic Pro team, which creates professional-quality software for musicians and producers. The rumored Redmatica acquisition could also bolster the consumer-oriented GarageBand music creation and editing applications for both Mac and iOS.
Redmatica's revenues were said to be less than ?100,000 per year, with income of just ?26,000, meaning a potential buyout from Apple was not likely a costly purchase for the Cupertino, Calif., company.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook was asked this week about acquisitions by his company, which currently has more than $100 billion in stockpiled cash. In an interview at the D10 conference, Cook said he'd rather not publicly disclose when Apple makes strategic purchases.
"We buy companies," Cook told journalists Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. "We don't like to make it public. It depends on the amount. If I don't have to, I won't."
The source of the information a report issued on Wednesday by Italian blog Fanpage (via TechCrunch). Evidence of the purchase came from Italian antitrust regulator AGCOM, which revealed in a bulletin published this week that Apple intends to acquire the company through a transfer of assets.
The small company builds a number of music editing applications, including Keymap Pro, AutoSampler, ProManager, and GBSamplerManager. Redmatica is based in Correggio, a small town of less than 25,000 people located in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. As of Wednesday afternoon, its website is still online, but makes no mention of any deal with Apple.
Redmatica's sampling software allows musicians to connect with EXS24, Kontakt 3 and 4, Structure and Reason samplers, along with Apple's own GarageBand application for the iPad. All of its products are written for Apple's Mac OS X operating system.
If Apple did in fact purchase Redmatica, the company's software developers could fit in with Apple's own Logic Pro team, which creates professional-quality software for musicians and producers. The rumored Redmatica acquisition could also bolster the consumer-oriented GarageBand music creation and editing applications for both Mac and iOS.
Redmatica's revenues were said to be less than ?100,000 per year, with income of just ?26,000, meaning a potential buyout from Apple was not likely a costly purchase for the Cupertino, Calif., company.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook was asked this week about acquisitions by his company, which currently has more than $100 billion in stockpiled cash. In an interview at the D10 conference, Cook said he'd rather not publicly disclose when Apple makes strategic purchases.
"We buy companies," Cook told journalists Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. "We don't like to make it public. It depends on the amount. If I don't have to, I won't."
Comments
Good purchase. I don't know if I'd call Redmatica a start-up, since I've been using it's products for years. As a Logic Pro user, this makes me feel good about Apple's commitment to it's professional music software. I wonder if Andrea, who ran the company, will be joining Apple.
It's not a start-up - they've been around for many years. Good and useful but niche software. One can see the fit into Logic/Garageband
If I remember correctly, Andrea worked at Emagic before the latter was acquired by Apple in 2002.
Very cool acquisition. Looks like this will make for even better tools.
Interesting how Apple continues to cultivate a niche even though it is hardly the majority of its market.
Encouraging sign for all pro users, not just music folks, in that this is an indication that Apple still cares about Pro users.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ankleskater
Interesting how Apple continues to cultivate a niche even though it is hardly the majority of its market.
Yeah, I suspect there are two reasons.
First, creative types make content, and content is absolutely vital to the success of Apple's consumer-oritented products. So it's good to make sure the creative types have good tools for making content for Apple platforms.
Second, it might be an indicator that Apple has plans for going after more "pro" class users, and consequently wants to keep their hand in the game of making pro apps, to make sure their OS and tools developers have first-hand knowledge of what pro-app developers want/need.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blastdoor
Yeah, I suspect there are two reasons.
First, creative types make content, and content is absolutely vital to the success of Apple's consumer-oritented products. So it's good to make sure the creative types have good tools for making content for Apple platforms.
Second, it might be an indicator that Apple has plans for going after more "pro" class users, and consequently wants to keep their hand in the game of making pro apps, to make sure their OS and tools developers have first-hand knowledge of what pro-app developers want/need.
Good observations. But even the pro class is a minority. I think your first point is more historical. The creative sector was the engine of the growth of the Mac and, along with academia and fanboyz, kept Apple viable during dark days. Apple really does not need this market sector anymore but is still supporting it out of historical respect. Just my two cents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ankleskater
Good observations. But even the pro class is a minority. I think your first point is more historical. The creative sector was the engine of the growth of the Mac and, along with academia and fanboyz, kept Apple viable during dark days. Apple really does not need this market sector anymore but is still supporting it out of historical respect. Just my two cents.
Another reason would be because these pro apps are a test-bed for next couple of years consumer features.
Technologies created in and for Logic, Aperture, Motion, Final Cut etc can make it to iOS, Garageband, iPhoto, etc.
It helps pushing actual products with "state of the arts" features to a limited market (like the Pro one) and then, after they mature and you find ways to simplify them or make them less CPU intensive add it to your consumer/mobile apps.
So, those pro apps are also a kind of R&D for Apple.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blastdoor
Yeah, I suspect there are two reasons.
First, creative types make content, and content is absolutely vital to the success of Apple's consumer-oritented products. So it's good to make sure the creative types have good tools for making content for Apple platforms.
Second, it might be an indicator that Apple has plans for going after more "pro" class users, and consequently wants to keep their hand in the game of making pro apps, to make sure their OS and tools developers have first-hand knowledge of what pro-app developers want/need.
True, but without OS X's Cocoa APIs this acquisition doesn't provide the creative tools made possible. In short, this company leveraged the hard work at Apple, made a creatively targeted product with those APIs and Apple acquired it and it's IP cheaply for that team and further resources at Apple to mature into other existing and future products. A complete loop of innovation on this one.
It would be nice if they bought a company to improve iWork on the Mac platform. Obviously Apple is killing of the Mac platform in a slow death. Where's the new Mac Pro if you doubt that? An Apple television is more of a replacement for the iMac than it is for the Apple TV.
At least iLife will see an update on the iPad.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacTel
Obviously Apple is killing of the Mac platform in a slow death. Where's the new Mac Pro if you doubt that?
You need to stop this nonsense.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer
True, but without OS X's Cocoa APIs this acquisition doesn't provide the creative tools made possible. In short, this company leveraged the hard work at Apple, made a creatively targeted product with those APIs and Apple acquired it and it's IP cheaply for that team and further resources at Apple to mature into other existing and future products. A complete loop of innovation on this one.
I really think you should have another go and rephrase what you said, because you have only transferred about 95% of the credit for this companies achievements to Apple. Perhaps you could point out Apple invented the English language and get that remaining 5% off them or use some other subterfuge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cnocbui
I really think you should have another go and rephrase what you said, because you have only transferred about 95% of the credit for this companies achievements to Apple. Perhaps you could point out Apple invented the English language and get that remaining 5% off them or use some other subterfuge.
You're venturing off your map, you know. Out there be NeXT employees who know these waters better than you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
You need to stop this nonsense.
Agreed!
Received this email today...
Dear Redmatica Customer,
After eight wonderful years of developing creative sampling tools, I have decided to close Redmatica to pursue other interests. Thank you for all your patronage!
Andrea Gozzi, Founder
SOFTWARE
You should download the updates from:
http://www.redmatica.com/Redmatica/AppDownloads.html