Moog Music has reportedly slashed jobs at its Asheville, North Carolina manufacturing factory, the Asheville Citizen Times reports. The exact number of layoffs at the iconic synthesizer brand is currently unknown, but sources told the Citizen Times that more than half of existing positions were cut, including most workers who built the instruments. Synth Anatomy cited social media posts from former employees who confirmed that layoffs had taken place.
The move comes after Moog was acquired by the audio electronics company inMusic in June of this year. Moog, through a representative, offered Pitchfork no comment.
Moog opened its Asheville headquarters in 2011. The company became employee-owned in 2015, when Moog Music adopted an employee stock ownership plan. Employees launched a unionization campaign in 2022, seeking job security and better pay. The empoyee ownership era ended this year with inMusic’s acquisition. Moog Music became part of the electronics company’s broader portfolio alongside the brands Akai, Alesis, Denon, M-Audio, Marantz, and Numark.