My inbox started twitching on Friday with some “have you heard?” and “what do you know?” messages from my solid sources. So I reached out to the necessary people, which largely met with a brick wall. But now the word is slowly leaking out, and an official press release has arrived from Rane. So as much as it pains me to write this, it seems that the iconic and genuinely amazing Seattle-based Rane has been sold to inMusic.
UPDATE: NOW WITH INMUSIC PR
INMUSIC SET TO ACQUIRE RENOWNED AUDIO MANUFACTURER RANE CORPORATION
Highly-regarded maker of innovative audio products and solutions for the DJ and the professional sound markets to join inMusic’s award-winning lineup of companies
Cumberland, RI USA (July 6, 2015)—inMusic, Inc. (inMusic), the corporate owner of 13 premiere companies that deliver groundbreaking hardware and software solutions to the music, professional sound and consumer electronics industries, today announced that co-founders Linda Arink and Dennis Bohn have agreed to sell Rane Corporation to inMusic LLC. The transaction is set to be completed this summer. After the sale, Ms. Arink and Mr. Bohn plan to step down and retire.
Rane Corporation is well-known for its cutting-edge audio products for the DJ and professional sound markets. Founded and incorporated in 1981, Rane quickly established itself as a valuable supplier to the professional sound market, with products that introduced new and innovative features, with an emphasis on performance, value and reliability. Today, Rane’s reputation for engineering excellence extends to a wide range of products, including DJ mixers, amplifiers, equalizers, networking products and crossovers.
The inMusic roster of companies spans the range from keyboards, electronic percussion, recording hardware and software, loudspeakers/headphones, amplifiers/media players/signal distribution, lighting and consumer electronics. Rane’s product offerings fit perfectly within this marketing approach, significantly strengthening and broadening inMusic’s reach into several key market segments.
“Rane Corporation is a great addition to inMusic,” said Jack O’Donnell, CEO of inMusic. “Rane is a dynamic, esteemed audio brand focused on enhancing DJ performance and professional sound.”
“I am proud Rane is going to become a member of the inMusic family,” said Linda Arink, Finance Director for Rane. “This is the perfect new home for our company, one that will embrace the legacy of our products and grow our business to its maximum potential.”
The transaction is expected to take place in summer 2016.
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About inMusic
InMusic (inMusic) is a family of premier brands that includes AIR Music Technology, Akai Professional, Alesis, Alto Professional, Denon DJ, Denon Professional, ION Audio, Marantz Professional, Marq Lighting, M-Audio, MixMeister and Numark. Committed to pushing the boundaries and challenging the status quo, each of inMusic’s brands is a leader in its field, providing cutting-edge products that incorporate and build upon the latest in engineering, design, and technology.
About Rane Corporation
Rane Corporation is an established innovator in problem-solving audio tools, professionally engineered with a focus on science, price/performance, and not frills and hype. Designed and manufactured exclusively in the United States, Rane’s product distribution is worldwide. Marketplaces are DJ (performance, club, mobile & recording), Live Sound (FOH and monitoring) and Commercial (music & paging, networked systems) featuring innovative analog and digital audio products for each category. For more information, visit www.rane.com
Details are slim, but here is what Rane has to say:
Rane Corporation is pleased to announce that cofounders Linda Arink and Dennis Bohn have agreed to sell Rane Corporation to InMusic LLC.
The transaction is set to be completed this summer. After the sale Ms. Arink and Mr. Bohn plan to step down and retire.
Rane is one of the most admired companies within the DJ and commercial sound industry. “Rane will continue some operations out of the Mukilteo, Washington headquarters,” says Ms. Arink.
Ms. Arink feels that with the added resources, engineering talent, and additional IP, InMusic is an ideal buyer for Rane Corporation and will help it grow now and in the future.
So there you have it. And of course we’ve dug a little deeper and this is what we have gleaned from sources so far:
- The owners of Rane were looking for a buyer, and inMusic clearly made the most attractive offer.
- The majority of the 60+ workforce will be “permanently displaced” at the end of July.
- Some engineers will remain (from the HAL/install side) in Seattle.
- The DJ side of Rane will be absorbed into the Numark/Denon team at inMusic HQ.
- Manufacturing will be moved to inMusic’s contractors in the far east.
UPDATE 2: The Rane DJ engineers have received written job offers from inMusic to stay in Seattle. So should they not be snapped up by other companies, there’s hope that at least some of what makes up Rane’s DNA will still be present even if manufactured outside of Seattle.
Obviously, this is breaking as we speak, and is a little light on details. I’ll fill in these gaps as and when more information arrives.
I’ve contacted inMusic looking for some official comment, and have been told that official inMusic details will be released “shortly”. Seeing as that’s an indeterminate length of time, I’ll leave you with the official Rane word along with the info we’ve received, and will have more when it’s available. But its past midnight here and this old man is off to bed.
UPDATE: inMusic press release added above
Rest assured that we’ll have a lot of comment and opinion to add, as I’m sure will you.