Splice acquires Spitfire Audio, a renowned US-based sample library creator, for around $50 million, and plans to integrate AI technology.
The big fish usually eat the small ones. Never the other way around. This happens regularly also in the music tech world. Apple and Camel Audio, Francisco Partners and Native Instruments, Waterland (Image Line investor), and UVI…
Now this has also happened to one of the most well-known British music tech companies. Splice, the well-known sample and loop provider, has acquired the renowned British company Spitfire Audio (and LABS) for around $50 million, according to The Financial Times.
Splice Spitfire Audio
It is essential to highlight that Splice is not a minor player in the business. Goldman Sachs, an American investment bank, backed the company.
Splice isn’t buying Spitfire Audio for fun. They’ve long pursued a mission to become a major player in AI music making. Spitfire Audio and its massive library of high-end sample content are a key piece of this master plan.
The two CEOs, Srivastava (Splice) and Thomson (Spitfire), are excited about this deal and share this news
“First of all, I’m not going anywhere. I’m really excited about the future and about what we’re going to be able to build together,” says Thomson. “My two passions have always been, since I first started writing music commercially, creating sounds for me to use in my own music, and the actual composition work itself. So, I’m going to enjoy doing more composition work and getting fulfilment from that creativity, but also, I love making sample libraries and I love making musical tools that people can use to express their creativity. They’re both equally important to me. We’re still going to be providing perpetual licence products.”
“We have such a shared passion for the creators we serve, the values match,” adds Srivastava. “One of the things that I’ve been learning about our customers is they want more creative control, and they want Splice and the sounds that we have deeper into their workflow. We’ve been thinking about all the different ways to do that. When I think about Spitfire [Audio], the tools you’ve built, the user experience, the creative control you’ve given users, making that accessible to the Splice community will be very powerful. Most important is what we can build together. In the next six to nine months, we’re going to see some really cool new stuff coming out.”
They promise to bring the best of both companies to more creators and more workflows around the world in the near future. It’s unknown how this will happen. Will Spitfire Audio libraries be significantly cheaper now, or will they be available as part of a Splice subscription combined with AI? I’m guessing the latter.
Spitfire Audio Meets AI
” This partnership lays the foundation for the next generation of creative tools: by pairing Splice’s ethical AI-powered discovery engine with Spitfire Audio’s world-class sound engine, we’re setting the stage for what’s next in music creation.
Whether you’re scoring films, producing chart-toppers, or just starting your first track, Splice and Spitfire Audio remain dedicated to helping you find better ways to bring your ideas to life.”
Those are just words; whether they are kept is another matter. Many tech acquisitions have promised golden times, but they have ended in a nightmare. Therefore, I am always cautious when two companies merge and promise tons of innovation.
It’s a bold step in a new direction. Until now, the British company has been creating tools and sound design for music creators. They had a very close connection to their customers: they bought the library and made music with them.
Depending on how much AI is involved in this Splice partnership, Spitfire Audio will create content for a supercomputer in a server station in the future, which will be used for AI training.
Kakul Srivastava, CEO of Splice, doesn’t provide any details about the new products or services yet, but says they will be released in the next few months.
First Impression
Exciting news on the page from Splice and Spitfire Audio, but also news that makes you wonder where this whole thing will lead the music-making world. AI tools are becoming more comprehensive and powerful almost monthly. It started with intelligent sound browsers, and now we can create samples and complete songs with just a few clicks.
I suspect that in the first steps, Splice will bring music tools to the market based on the SA sound engine. But what about later? Do we still need Spitfire Audio and its sound design expertise, or will the AI button suffice?
Spitfire Audio celebrates this as a significant step, but in my opinion, they are pitting their sound design skills against AI. We’ll see who wins, but my gut feeling is less optimistic.
More information here: Splice / Spitfire Audio
