Singapore-based BandLab Technologies, the parent company of social music creation platform BandLab, is rebranding its Cakewalk music production software.
BandLab acquired certain assets and the complete intellectual property of Cakewalk Inc. from Gibson Brands in 2018.
Under the new structure, Cakewalk by BandLab will transition into the standalone brand of ‘Cakewalk’, with two “distinct” products underneath that Cakewalk Sonar and Cakewalk Next.
In addition to the new name, the company has launched an updated website at cakewalk.com and a new logo.
BandLab’s flagship namesake social music-making app, which counts over 60 million registered users, offers a range of features for emerging creators, such as the cross-platform digital audio workstation Studio, royalty-free sample and loops service Sounds, and the AI music generator tool SongStarter.
Cakewalk, meanwhile, makes professional recording and production software including digital audio workstations and virtual instruments.
“With BandLab, we’ve taken mobile creation possibilities to the next level, but we still think there’s still more to deliver, especially as our users mature and interact with more creators and partners in their journey,” explained BandLab Technologies CEO & Co-founder Meng Ru Kuok.
“Cakewalk now stands alone as an independent brand, with plenty more exciting news to come over these next few months.”
According to the announcement, BandLab is now “ushering in this new era of Cakewalk in parallel with BandLab’s widespread adoption”.
“With BandLab, we’ve taken mobile creation possibilities to the next level, but we still think there’s still more to deliver.”
Meng Ru Kuok, BandLab
The corporate rebrand of Cakewalk arrives a couple of weeks after BandLab Technologies raised an additional USD $25 million in its Series B1 financing round, valuing the company at $425 million.
This latest investment followed the company’s successful Series B round in April 2022, where BandLab raised $65 million and achieved a post-money valuation of $315 million.
BandLab says that its recent investment is “strategically directed towards key areas that further enhance the company’s commitment to accessible music-making and innovation”.
BandLab claims further to be “reshaping the landscape of music production and revolutionizing the way musicians create, collaborate, and share their art”.
The Cakewalk Sonar rebrand reintroduces the iconic SONAR name for Cakewalk’s original DAW with a significant UI refresh. (Cakewalk Sonar will ensure compatibility with legacy projects created in previous iterations of SONAR and Cakewalk by BandLab).
“We want to empower all creators by giving them a range of workflow options across our product offerings, and that includes a robust desktop ecosystem,” added BandLab Technologies CEO & Co-founder Meng Ru Kuok. “We see it as one interlocking chain that supports creators throughout their creative process.”
BandLab’s acquisition of Cakewalk in 2018 formed part of a wider M&A spree at the company over the past few years.
In 2018, UK-based Anthem Publishing sold its music-making media portfolio – including MusicTech, MusicTech Focus, The Guitar Magazine, Guitar Classics, www.musictech.net and www.theguitarmagazine.com – to BandLab.
In 2017, BandLab also bought UK-based live video streaming startup Chew.
Meanwhile, BandLab acquired artist services platform ReverbNation in 2021, and most recently, in February, the company acquired beat marketplace Airbit.
BandLab also acquiredUncut along with another long-running UK music media brand NME from London-based TI Media in May 2019. (NME Networks, a division of BandLab Technologies’ parent company Caldecott Music Group, sold Uncut to Kelsey Media at the end of May).Music Business Worldwide
