Because 2026 apparently woke up and chose violence.

After a year where we’ve talked about Traktor rumors, controller teases, streaming integrations, and “this could be the comeback” moments, Native Instruments has officially entered preliminary insolvency proceedings in Germany. And no — this is not a fake leak, a Guitar Center box sighting, or a “version 4 is coming soon” forum post. This one’s real.

Native Instruments GmbH has filed for preliminary insolvency, which in German business terms means: “Pause everything, bring in a grown-up, and figure out how not to implode.”

A court-appointed administrator is now overseeing finances while NI continues operating. This is not an overnight shutdown. Traktor still opens. Maschine still bangs. Kontakt libraries still load. Your projects are safe… for now.

Think of it less like “company died” and more like “company went into the studio to rethink its entire identity.”

Let’s be honest — NI has been around this newsletter a lot.

We’ve covered:

So this moment matters because it explains a lot.

Insolvency doesn’t just affect balance sheets — it affects:

For DJs and producers who’ve built entire workflows around NI tools, this is less panic and more side-eye. You’re not uninstalling — but you’re paying attention.

This isn’t just about Native Instruments. It’s about a bigger shift we’ve been writing about all year:

NI helped invent modern digital DJing and production. But the market they helped create is now faster, louder, and less forgiving. Insolvency here feels less like failure and more like a forced reset in an industry that no longer waits politely.

If Native Instruments survives this — and history says it probably will — it may come out leaner, sharper, and finally aligned with where DJs and producers actually are in 2026.

If not? Its legacy still shaped half the gear and software we use today.

Either way, this explains a lot. And no… this was not on anyone’s bingo card.

In last weeks poll we asked “At $2,499, is RANE System One worth it?” 34 % responded “Yes — tools that don’t crash are priceless”

Crate Hackers will be at AREA15 on Feb 17 at 5 PM PT.

One of the most immersive, tech-forward venues in the country. The setting wasn’t accidental. AREA15’s blend of art, music, and sensory overload made it the perfect backdrop to debut a tool designed for DJs making high-pressure decisions in real time.

Banger Button 2 builds on the original concept with smarter data, faster recommendations, and tighter insight into what actually moves a crowd — not just what should work on paper. Launching it in Vegas, in front of real DJs and real chaos, sent a clear message: this tool is built for the booth, not the spreadsheet.

If crowd energy is part of your job (and it is), this is one worth paying attention to.

If you’ve been curious about Crate Hackers but never showed up, this is the one that makes sense.

In news that will surprise absolutely no one who’s ever fallen down a late-night mix rabbit hole, music now accounts for roughly one-third of all watch time on YouTube. Yes — the same platform you use to watch cable-management tutorials and “DJ reacts to DJ” videos is quietly one of the biggest music platforms on Earth.

Who knew? (Everyone.)

This stat confirms what DJs have been exploiting for years: YouTube isn’t “optional,” it’s where long-form music still thrives. While other platforms fight for 15 seconds of attention, YouTube audiences will happily sit through:

Translation: if you’re willing to press record and add a visual, YouTube will actually let people listen.

This also explains why YouTube keeps rolling out music features, remix tools, Shorts, AI helpers, and monetization options. They’re not dabbling — they’re defending their turf as a music destination that happens to have video, not the other way around.

Spotify has playlists. TikTok has trends.

YouTube has… time. And a lot of it.

If music owns a third of YouTube’s watch time, ignoring the platform isn’t a strategy — it’s just laziness with better excuses.

Post the mix. Film the set. Add the visuals.

The audience is already there, waiting patiently — which is more than you can say for most algorithms.

If you thought charts were confusing before, welcome to the next level. A new set of AI-focused music charts has officially launched, designed to track songs created with or heavily assisted by AI. Yes — we now have charts for music made by humans, charts for music made with machines, and vibes somewhere in between.

The future didn’t just arrive. It brought spreadsheets.

A new chart system from SIQA is aiming to quantify and rank AI-generated music based on streaming data, engagement, and usage across platforms. The goal? Separate the “AI-native” tracks from traditional releases and actually measure how much of this music people are listening to — intentionally or not.

This isn’t a theoretical exercise. These charts are already pulling real data from streaming platforms and social signals, effectively saying: “Whether you like it or not, AI music is now chartable.”

For DJs, charts have always been a tool — not a rulebook. But AI charts introduce a new wrinkle: how do you contextualize music that wasn’t made the traditional way?

This matters because:

In other words, DJs won’t just be crate digging — they’ll be crate filtering.

Taste still wins. Context still matters. But now you’ll need to decide whether a track’s origin affects whether it earns a place in your set.

This move mirrors what happens every time a new production method breaks through:

Each time, the industry panics… then builds infrastructure around it.

AI charts aren’t about crowning robot pop stars (yet). They’re about acknowledging reality: AI music exists, it’s being streamed, and pretending it doesn’t won’t make it disappear.

Charts don’t decide culture — people do.

But charts do shape discovery, and discovery shapes what DJs hear next.

So whether you plan to play AI tracks, avoid them, or remix them into something human again… congratulations. You’re now officially part of a conversation that has its own chart position.

Welcome to DJing in the age of metadata with opinions

If wedding prep still feels like juggling spreadsheets, playlists, and panic at 1:00 AM, this video is for you. Aaron breaks down a game-changing integration between Crate Hackers and DJ Event Planner that finally connects your client planning directly to real, playable DJ crates. No more broken M3Us, missing files, or last-minute chaos — just clean, music-ready crates pulled straight from your event timeline.

This isn’t a “nice to have” feature. It’s infrastructure for wedding DJs who want fewer headaches, more trust from couples, and their weeknights back.

Watch the video and see how wedding prep is supposed to work in 2026.

Just when you thought your phone was full enough, Meta is testing a standalone AI video app. Yes, separate from Instagram. Separate from Facebook. Separate from Reels. Separate from whatever app you forgot you downloaded in 2022.

The goal? Make AI-generated video easier, faster, and more accessible — which is corporate speak for “we want you creating more content without thinking too hard.”

Meta’s experimental app focuses entirely on AI-generated video creation, allowing users to:

Think of it as Reels meets AI meets “please don’t open CapCut again.”

This isn’t a public launch yet — it’s a test. But Meta doesn’t test things casually. If this sticks, expect it to roll straight into the Instagram/Facebook content pipeline.

For DJs, video has already become mandatory — promo clips, teasers, visuals, recap posts, ads. Meta’s angle here is removing friction, not replacing creativity.

This means:

The upside: speed.

The downside: your feed getting flooded with AI videos that all vaguely look the same.

Which makes real footage, POV clips, and actual crowd moments even more valuable.

Meta isn’t trying to replace filmmakers. It’s trying to own the default workflow. If creators can ideate, generate, edit, and publish inside Meta’s ecosystem, they never have to leave — and Meta gets all the data, all the ads, and all the attention.

It’s less about creativity and more about containment.

AI video apps won’t kill authentic content — they’ll expose it. When everyone can generate polished visuals in seconds, the only thing that stands out is real energy, real people, and real moments.

So yeah, Meta can have another app.

Just don’t confuse convenience with connection.

In the ongoing “AI is ruining music” debate, Will.i.am just brought a refreshingly honest take to the table: it’d be pretty hypocritical to torch AI when his entire career was built on sampling, remixing, and recontextualizing existing sounds. And honestly? He’s not wrong.

Will.i.am acknowledged that while AI raises serious questions around creativity, ownership, and ethics, he personally can’t take an absolutist stance against it. Why? Because sampling — the very thing that powered hip-hop, electronic music, and pop innovation — was once treated with the same suspicion AI is getting now.

New tool, same panic cycle.

If you’ve ever:

…you’re already living on the same spectrum as AI-assisted creativity.

Will.i.am’s point isn’t “AI replaces artists.”

It’s “tools evolve, and artists adapt.”

DJs have always been translators between technology and culture. The difference now is the tool talks back.

Every major shift in music tech goes through the same phases:

Sampling survived lawsuits, backlash, and moral panic. It didn’t kill music — it reshaped it. AI is walking the same road, just faster and louder.

You don’t have to love AI. You don’t have to trust it blindly.

But pretending it’s somehow more offensive than the tools we already use? That’s revisionist history. As will.i.am basically reminded everyone:

If your career came from remix culture, maybe don’t act shocked when remix culture gets smarter.

Use the tools. Set boundaries. Stay human.