Legendary American synthesiser company Moog Music joins Akai Pro, Alesis, M-Audio and other brands under the umbrella of inMusic. Elaborating on the company’s decision, Joe Richardson, president of Moog Music, stressed challenges and the need for support from a bigger corporation: “Devoted to maintaining the sound, quality, and manufacturing philosophy that Moog is known for, inMusic is able to offer solutions to support the areas that have been ongoing challenges for our company as a small manufacturing business”. Moog came to a decision to sell the business to inMusic after substantial time searching for a new buyer.
Richardson underlined the mutual benefits of Moog having access to inMusic’s “efficient global distribution and supply chain network” and sharing expert knowledge with the corporation as well as its affiliated brands.
Starting with the invention of the eponymous modular synthesiser by Robert Moog, the company developed into a venerable producer. Moog was the first brand that suggested the first commercial synthesiser and established the analogue synthesiser concept. In the January 1970’s issue of Billboard, journalist Ian Dove wrote that the brand was going to launch a mini-Moog as a performing instrument within three to six months. The mini version was tested in a series of invitational performances such as a concert of electronic music pioneer Gershon Kingsley at Carnegie Hall and Ed Sullivan CBS-TV show. “We will explore the approaches for the use of electronic music in live performances,” said Mr Moog to Dove.
Priced up to $2,000, the instrument set the standard for such type of performance. It was much smaller and cheaper than previous synthesisers with a price tag showing six figures at minimum. That explains why Moog was fairly popular among pop rock bands, e.g. Monkees, and experimental composers such as Richard Teitelbaum and Wendy Carlos. The latter recorded Switched-On Bach, featuring Bach compositions arranged for a Moog synthesiser.
The merge of Moog with inMusic was expected. Although the statement on the official site implies the production will be still kept in the company’s headquarters in North Carolina, some experts believe that new hybrid types of instruments might emerge. According to MusicRadar, some form of “cross-pollination” is possible, for instance, Moog synth with Akai MPC pads.
As many brands within the inMusic family produce software, this is likely to be a trajectory for the new incarnation of Moog. In his statement, Joe Richardson made it clear that the company has an impetus to experiment with technology further:
“We are excited to introduce you to the many innovative hardware and software instruments our team has on the horizon. This partnership with inMusic will allow us to reach new communities and continue to push the boundaries of music technology”.
Read the full text of the statement on the official site of Moog Music.
