Yan Filiatrault Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 https://synthanatomy.com/2024/03/dirk-ulrich-has-left-native-instruments.html 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PavlovsCat Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 (edited) Wow, the guy who wrote that has no small amount of venom for NI, which I notice someone pointed out and he reacted -- not well -- as if he was engaged in fair and balanced journalism, claiming he was objective. He should have reported the facts first and shared his opinion afterwards. That lack of ability to write facts clearly and the attack headline harms his credibility and does make one question his ability to present facts without overly injecting bias. I'd heard, but don't know, that Dirk has a pretty strong ego. Could that have been a factor in things not working out in this capacity? I suspect it was a big factor. He went from being the head honcho to a role that requires diplomacy and the ability to influence without direct authority and that requires a very different set of skills than he needed when he was the guy signing employees' checks. Edited March 2 by PavlovsCat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anxiousmofo Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 I think it is an opinion piece with a news component. And he is far from wrong. Wrong-A-Roni... the Francisco Partners Treat! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralfrobert Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 We will see if he will start a small company again and do everything right. Wouldn't be a surprise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundwise Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 I think, new generations - Millennials and especially Zoomers - are not very keen on creating music in old fashion, like it used to be common for old-timers such as ourselves. IMO, that's the main reason why both hardware and software manufacturers face a decline in sales. We are still here, and we still buy their stuff and keep them afloat, but let's face it - the music part of show business is not about innovative records or talent anymore, it's just a craft with a niche demand. Music is just content crafted with little to no passion, soulful expression or extraordinary skills. We already see symptoms of the MI market collapse, so the crumbling down of leading MI software and hardware companies is inevitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackson white Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 another perspective is that founders are typically kept on for a contractual period of time after an acquisition, for either transition politics or non-compete concerns, and once that's over, they're gone, always the plan. he always struck me as a calculated business guy more than a passionate muso, especially given PA's aggressive pricing tactics which is a typical move to drive the valuation (# of users) leading up to a potential sale, so i'd bet this was his intention all along. and would also bet he would do anything but start another plug-in company. makes you wonder what's up with UAD, just saying... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Walton Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 1 hour ago, Soundwise said: I think, new generations - Millennials and especially Zoomers - are not very keen on creating music in old fashion, like it used to be common for old-timers such as ourselves. IMO, that's the main reason why both hardware and software manufacturers face a decline in sales. We are still here, and we still buy their stuff and keep them afloat, but let's face it - the music part of show business is not about innovative records or talent anymore, it's just a craft with a niche demand. Music is just content crafted with little to no passion, soulful expression or extraordinary skills. We already see symptoms of the MI market collapse, so the crumbling down of leading MI software and hardware companies is inevitable. We also are in a post pandemic world where we all bought far more than we needed and the companies were overvalued because of it. And when you sell to PE, they want more profit and growth and anyone actually in the industry should have known the down hill decline was coming. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antler Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 3 hours ago, PavlovsCat said: He should have reported the facts first and shared his opinion afterwards. I'm not sure if it was different before, but there're now two main sections: one for 'facts', the other for personal opinion. I know it's been edited though; I saw the article ~3hrs ago, and the main title contained the quoted phrase "sinking ship". Thing is, that wasn't a quote from anyone except the author's opinion section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antler Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 2 hours ago, Soundwise said: I think, new generations - Millennials and especially Zoomers - are not very keen on creating music in old fashion, like it used to be common for old-timers such as ourselves. Possibly one reason is that these tools require skill and patience to learn to use effectively. Many in the younger generations might prefer instant gratification from tools that are simpler to operate. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSistine Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 4 hours ago, PavlovsCat said: Wow, the guy who wrote that has no small amount of venom for NI, which I notice someone pointed out and he reacted -- not well -- as if he was engaged in fair and balanced journalism, claiming he was objective. He should have reported the facts first and shared his opinion afterwards. That lack of ability to write facts clearly and the attack headline harms his credibility and does make one question his ability to present facts without overly injecting bias. I'd heard, but don't know, that Dirk has a pretty strong ego. Could that have been a factor in things not working out in this capacity? I suspect it was a big factor. He went from being the head honcho to a role that diplomacy and the ability to influence without direct authority and that requires a very different set of skills than he needed when he was the guy signing employees' checks. If you have a look at journalism in Europe, then you know there is no more objective reporting left! Everything is biased and not only in journalism, it goes around in all organizations, in state departments, in education and even in the film and advertising industries. Here propaganda is omnipresent. If 30 years ago someone would have told me: "this will be the future of Europe", then I would not have believed him! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundwise Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 Just now, antler said: Possibly one reason is that these tools require skill and patience to learn to use effectively. Many in the younger generations might prefer instant gratification from tools that are simpler to operate. Indeed. Also, when you think about outstanding young musicians like Charles Berthoud, what do his viewers/subscribers see? A guitar (bass) god? No! They see a successful youtuber with skills on bass. Do they want to play bass as good as he? Maybe some of them do, but mostly people just like being entertained. I He's not in a band, nor is he famous for any top hit records or just beautiful songs. Even though he's one of the best performers in the world, watching him play bass is like watching a bear riding a monocycle - awesome tricks, yet hardly practical or relevant. It's just an example of how modern musicians have a drastically different paradigm compared to our ideas of music creation. Don't get me wrong, though. I'm not trying to imply that this is bad, wrong or pitiful. I'm ready to embrace this new vector and have courage to admit that nobody cares about music icons, heroes or gods anymore. The world has changed and so should we. IMO, of course. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anxiousmofo Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 2 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSistine Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 (edited) Also in the Roman Empire there were some old men that had pointed out the decline before it actually was true! Sometimes it would be a good idea to listen to wiser old men/women that have a great picture of what is going on! 😄 Edited March 1 by CSistine 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anxiousmofo Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 Not feeling terribly young here, myself. I just tire a bit of generational posturing, however true certain elements may be. T'was ever thus. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul P Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 A couple of years ago I moved to a big city (which wasn't far away) and last year discovered a world of bands, ensembles and solo/duo performers that make the rounds in the various burroughs' community centres. Tickets are mostly free, the most expensive is 13$ in a nicer theatre. Small venues where you can sit 10ft/3m from the musicians if you get there early. Styles can anything, jazz, blues, pop, classical, Caribbean, folk. Mostly local musicians, some with reputations. All original stuff. I've been really surprised and impressed by the quality. These performers are more young than old, mostly in the middle somewhere, so there are still people dedicating thousands of hours of their lives to making very enjoyable music. It's a real privilege to be entertained by them. They make it look so easy but having tried I know I'll never have the discipline or the drive to achieve anything remotely close. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PavlovsCat Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 I've seen a number of folks post in this forum, now in this thread, a misperception that the digital music software production industry is declining when every study I've seen in the 12 months (a total of two) indicates that the industry is growing. The below linked study indicates a CAGR of more than 8% . The acquisitions in the industry aren't occurring because the industry is falling apart. The firms making these acquisitions do so because they anticipate growth, not decline. Well managed developers I know are doing well, not suffering. For anyone posting doom and gloom, it's not reality -- fortunately. https://www.globalgrowthinsights.com/market-reports/music-production-software-market-100157 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitekrazy Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 4 hours ago, Brian Walton said: We also are in a post pandemic world where we all bought far more than we needed and the companies were overvalued because of it. And when you sell to PE, they want more profit and growth and anyone actually in the industry should have known the down hill decline was coming. Some of us still have that practice. 1 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitekrazy Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 6 hours ago, Soundwise said: I think, new generations - Millennials and especially Zoomers - are not very keen on creating music in old fashion, like it used to be common for old-timers such as ourselves. IMO, that's the main reason why both hardware and software manufacturers face a decline in sales. We are still here, and we still buy their stuff and keep them afloat, but let's face it - the music part of show business is not about innovative records or talent anymore, it's just a craft with a niche demand. Music is just content crafted with little to no passion, soulful expression or extraordinary skills. We already see symptoms of the MI market collapse, so the crumbling down of leading MI software and hardware companies is inevitable. How many of us actually buy hardware unless it breaks. I haven't bought any more guitars, basses, wind instruments, ect. We've always been the minority. Most people don't even use desktops anymore. Lucky for PC hardware we benefit from the gaming industry until the PC loses its top seat as the gaming platform. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitekrazy Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 BTW he wasn't the first one to leave. People left NI. Who know maybe some of these people collected enough money that they decided they don't or need to work anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleer Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 They are the knights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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