EDM Business Front: Pioneer Sells Off DJ Equipment Division and Splice Draws Funding from Tiësto and Scooter Braun

The music industry is undergoing constant lineup shuffles and big interactions between companies, but few are as fun to read about as the EDM industry because A) it's one of the newest genres to strike it big and B) the topics discussed are typically more interesting than somebody becoming a new executive at Universal Music or similar. This week we've got two new developments, both provided by Digital Music News.

Splice

Splice has gone public with a beta version after a year of remaining private on the beta front. The app (for your desktop, not your phone) allows members to share music via the cloud and is acclaimed for its ability to mesh with professional audio tools such as Logic Pro X. Basically, if you and your cousin in Bethesda are planning on being the next Jack U, Splice is a good cheap option.

The new version includes a "DNA Player" that annotates your songs based on analysis, a tool that also simplifies cutting things up.

Splice has added a series of big-name backers as well. Steve Angello (previously of Swedish House Mafia), Tiësto and Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Braun and more have contributed a total of $4.5 million in funding. A good investment we reckon.

Pioneer

Pioneer is one the best known producer of equipment used by electronic musicians but they're looking for someone else to take care of that subset of the company. Hence it split its DJ equipment division into the newly formed Pioneer DJ group and sold a majority of it to equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. for around $549 million. Pioneer will still hold a 15 percent share of the company but it's now looking to focus more attention on its line of car audio products. It also dealt its audio-visual branch to the Onkyo Corporation last week.

The good news for the patriotic sort: Pioneer DJ is technically an American company now!