Apple has requested permission from the Italian government to purchase Redmatica, a small Italian software company that specializes in digital audio editing applications, according to Italian blog Fanpage as translated by TechCrunch. The impending acquisition was revealed by the AGCM, Italy’s antitrust regulatory agency.
Redmatica specializes in digital audio workstation software for OS X and its flagship product, Keymap Pro, features optional integration with Apple’s audio applications Logic, Mainstage, and GarageBand.
Redmatica itself is relatively small, with total income reported to be about €26,000 (US$32,000) on less than €100,000 (US$124,000) in revenues per year, although the company’s audio technology, including the ability to drag and drop sampler instruments and realtime sample specific gain controls are likely appealing to Apple’s audio software teams.
In addition to the company’s unique software, Apple may also be interested in acquiring the company’s employee talent, although there is no indication yet on the future of Redmatica’s employees post-acquisition.
While the AGCM has determined that, for antitrust purposes, an investigation into the proposed acquisition is not necessary, the deal is not yet completed and could still be subject to further regulatory approval.
Neither Apple nor Redmatica have responded to request for comment and, until the deal is decided one way or the other, it is unlikely that either company will.