Photo Credit: LANDR
Longtime digital audio workstation (DAW) developer Reason Studios officially has a new owner: AI-powered distribution, collaboration, and mastering platform LANDR.
Montreal-headquartered LANDR announced its deal and plans for Stockholm-based Reason Studios (formerly Propellerhead Software) today. Besides the mentioned offerings, the purchaser affords subscribers access to stem separation tools, approximately 200 online “courses taught by professional instructors,” a number of royalty-free samples, and more, the appropriate site shows.
And on the opposite end of the transaction, 32-year-old Reason’s flagship product is the namesake DAW and plugin.
Moving forward, Reason is set “to operate as its own brand, maintaining its products, community, and creative DNA,” according to LANDR.
However, the latter did acknowledge plans to “gradually introduce new value for Reason users,” including through the rollout of “AI-powered features.”
“This isn’t about changing Reason, it’s about giving it room to grow,” said LANDR head Pascal Pilon. “We’re preserving each brand’s identity and core market while unlocking new possibilities for creators everywhere.”
On Reddit, Reason users are, in general, embracing a “wait and see” approach with regard to the acquisition. Nevertheless, some are also expressing uncertainty about the AI-feature additions in particular.
Enter the just-established Artist Council, which, per LANDR and Reason, will be “made up of well-known producers and longtime users of” the latter.
In short, the councilmembers “will be instrumental in shaping the future of the platform [Reason] so that it works for both new and existing users,” the parties indicated.
“This council will ensure that Reason’s roadmap remains deeply connected to the real-world needs and ambitions of today’s creators, advising on product innovation, creative tools and workflows,” they continued.
“Like a lot of producers,” summed up LANDR strategy VP Daniel Rowland, “Reason was my first experience making music on a computer, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Reason has always been shaped by its community, and this council makes that official, giving power users a direct voice in shaping the tools they rely on, benefitting all of us.”
As for the sale’s financials, LANDR and Reason opted against publicly disclosing price-tag details. But they did confirm that LANDR had scooped up the majority Reason stake previously held by Oslo’s Verdane, a “specialist growth buyout investment firm.”
In the bigger picture, the AI boom has already fueled (or at least significantly contributed to) multiple DAW changes.
Though recent developments have pushed the purchase into the background, Suno last year acquired WavTool, billed as “the first browser-based DAW to combine professional-grade music production features…with native AI capabilities.”
Then there’s music AI startup Arthos, which in 2025 scored seed funding and launched its first product, a DAW called Mozart AI. Evidently, Mozart is looking to capitalize on Warner Music-corralled pivots (which Digital Music News was first to report) at Suno; on Reddit, a new advert is touting the software as a “Suno Alternative” boasting “FREE Unlimited Downloads.”
