Does the Donationware principle work?

[texture]

So what do you is the best scenario???

#2, but charge 20 instead.

[stefancrs]

Perhaps if the software was sold, instead of relying on donationware, for 15 Euros, or some similar low price, a lot more sales would occur. Release a cut down version for free (rather like RGCAudio release SFZ for free, and you have to pay for SFZ+) and you might get thousands of downloads. If anybody wants to buy the better version of the VST, they have already tried the cut down version, so they know basically what they will be getting, and also that it will only cost 15 Euros.

Purely speculative post by me here.

I doubt that something for €15 would sell ten times the amount of copies as the same product at €150. If selling your product at €150 you would probably just have to sell like... Ten a month to manage (if you're the only developer) to pay your bills etc. To me it seems easier to get ten copies at €150 sold each month than to manage to sell 100 copies at €15 each month.

Just thinking out loud.

[enfantTerrible]

bye

[Spe3D]

Perhaps if the software was sold, instead of relying on donationware, for 15 Euros, or some similar low price, a lot more sales would occur. Release a cut down version for free (rather like RGCAudio release SFZ for free, and you have to pay for SFZ+) and you might get thousands of downloads. If anybody wants to buy the better version of the VST, they have already tried the cut down version, so they know basically what they will be getting, and also that it will only cost 15 Euros.

Purely speculative post by me here.

I doubt that something for €15 would sell ten times the amount of copies as the same product at €150. If selling your product at €150 you would probably just have to sell like... Ten a month to manage (if you're the only developer) to pay your bills etc. To me it seems easier to get ten copies at €150 sold each month than to manage to sell 100 copies at €15 each month.

Just thinking out loud.

This is true - your workload is an important part to consider. the lots of small does take up lots of time - but it really depends on where your enjoyment comes into it.

If it's only about money then go big.

If it's more than that - go small and have some fun doing it.

Best regards,

Spe3d

:O)

[stefancrs]

If it's only about money then go big.

For some people it's probably about making a living WHILE doing what one thinks is fun.

[Spe3D]

If it's only about money then go big.

For some people it's probably about making a living WHILE doing what one thinks is fun.

Don’t worry about my comment Stefancrs – I have a habit of touching nerves sometimes in my posts.

As I said in an early post - do what's best for you

Best regards,

Spe3d

:O)

[Klemperer]

I donate on a regular basis, this is to say every 4-6 months or so. 2 times Smartelectronics one time SE-programmer recently. I don't think there are soooo few who do that. But I don't think someone could live from donations. There are people I know who can't afford 150Euro for a VSTi or even the Native-Instruments-prices, so it's kind of a dream come true that there are programmers who give their VSTs as donationware. Or even free like in Linux-world. Nothing naive I think, it's kindness .

[Klemperer]

To me it seems easier to get ten copies at €150 sold each month than to manage to sell 100 copies at €15 each month.

I think you're right, at least I remember a thread a few months ago that came to that conclusion. But again, a rare person like Tobybear still gives his things as donationware even if he can't live from that most probably. There are many types of persons who code, it seems . And surely a wonderful monster-VST like z3ta+ or Rhino or Albino2 is fully worth the price, and with donationware work couldn't be done. So nobody could say if Toby would go for a 100E-thing in the future, still it's fine how it is now .
I ask myself how prices would be without crackers, but that's a raaaaather old question. Futuremusic stated for 1 sold copy come 400 cracks (forgot the mag-number,148 or 149maybe). Some (unknown?) programmers might think if that's so let's go for a job and do programming at night, donationware or other?

[Spe3D]

It's technically shareware if it's inhibited - donationware is free full stop. and donations can be made but it does not unlock functions.

Or Demoware

Best regards,

Spe3d

:O)

[psynus]

The better the product the more I will donate. This is how I do it.

[enfantTerrible]

Some (unknown?) programmers might think if that's so let's go for a job and do programming at night, donationware or other?

What do you mean (the contextual aspect) with "if that's so"???

bye

[/quote]

[Spe3D]

Some (unknown?) programmers might think if that's so let's go for a job and do programming at night, donationware or other?

What do you mean (the contextual aspect) with "if that's so"???

bye

[/quote]

The word ‘bye’ is short for goodbye as in bye for now I may be gone a while – ie probably won’t be posting in this thread anymore today.

You might like to revise bye! For another word like cheers! Or regards, or something like it.

Bye is also perceived as a bit abrupt if brought on in a middle of a conversation

Best regards,

Spe3d

:O)

[Paul_FX]

As an side discussion, we recently released a series of plugins as 'commentware' The basic premise was that if you used the plugin you had to send us an email detailing what you thought of it, where would could improve etc etc. Our theory was that this was the user got a free plugin and we got feedback from LOTS of people, ensuring that we made better plugins. That was the theory anyway. unfortunately in the real world we got LESS THAN 1% OF DOWNLOADERS COMMENTING. In the first month we got about 8,000 downloads. And from that we got less than 15 emails in the month. The emails that we did get were generally from people on the bottom end of the musician scale (ie those people who made no money from plugins, ie - they make music for the love of it).

This shocked us (to say the least!) as we made it as easy as possible for users to respond, including setting up web forums, providing them with plenty of links to email us etc etc. And still no one bothered.

So if we expand the principle to donation ware i would be very suprised if it worked. If people aren't willing to send an email (which costs nothing except maybe the cost of a quick phone call to connect to the net), does anyone really think that users will open their wallet (when they dont have to - it gives them nothing extra). Of course there will be those users who appreciate good work and pay for it. But most wont bother.. (I know i wouldn't

Just my 2 penny worth, but i thought some of you might be interested in our experiences..

Paul

[enfantTerrible]

Some (unknown?) programmers might think if that's so let's go for a job and do programming at night, donationware or other?

What do you mean (the contextual aspect) with "if that's so"???

bye

The word ‘bye’ is short for goodbye as in bye for now I may be gone a while – ie probably won’t be posting in this thread anymore today.

You might like to revise bye! For another word like cheers! Or regards, or something like it.

Bye is also perceived as a bit abrupt if brought on in a middle of a conversation

Best regards,

Spe3d

:O)

It was ment as a "bye, i can not post anymore today" but than something wonderfull has happened (no not the monolith) and i now have the time to post again.

It can be considered as abrupt in some circles but i think it is clear and informative

[Big Tick]

I would suggest that in fact the vast majority of people are not up for paying for their software and indeed want something for nothing - if say the recent release of Rhino2 had even 10% of the sales of your one months downloads over a similar period of time I.E. 350 in a month then MR Tick would be in pocket for about £30,000 - he would probably of been long retired and sitting on his own private island in the azores!

Flipper,

Here are some download stats from July (every month being more or less the same):

Rainbow 396
Cheeze Machine 3458
TickyClav 1520
Angelina 607
Rhino 616 (might be more because of mirrors)
NastyShaper 878
Hexaline 1199
Dual Delay 769
Makunouchi Bento 687

And, by the way, 350 sales in a year would be great, so let's keep dreaming of the azores Fortunately, we're not in it for the money.

'Tick