Copy-Protected Plugins gone bust

[KarmaShaman]

In the history of DAWs, has there ever been instances of VSTs (or other formats) that have been rendered unusable because the developer has ceased trading? I'm interested to know about legitimate reinstallation & registration after the fact, not whether 'cracked' versions can be used.

I'm not sure how things would unfold if a plugin was purchased that required online authorisation, when the portal in which to complete the process disappears.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Happened with Kjaerhus. The last plugin, MPL, used a challenge and response system. Then, one bad business partnership gone wrong and a year or so later, the authorization server went down never to go back online again. His keyfile protected plugins, which never got updated to the challenge and response system, continued to work even years later.

[KarmaShaman]

Bad news for owners.

I have all of my eggs in one basket (ie the DAW & paid plugins are all authorized by the same company) so I'm starting to think it's time to move platforms.

[ObsoleteAcc99]

bitheadz, kjaerhus audio, Koblo or whatever they were called when they released nexsyn.

I have been burned by all three, and with bitheadz, the amount was tragically, alot.

[ObsoleteAcc99]

Actually TBH, the only dev i know that has gone bust but keeping the C/R server open from their own pocket is BIAS. I got to give props to them for that. Over 2 years now and it's still up.

[ObsoleteAcc99]

Bad news for owners.

I have all of my eggs in one basket (ie the DAW & paid plugins are all authorized by the same company) so I'm starting to think it's time to move platforms.

props are not going bust.

R8 selling even better than R7.. props care to much to ever just dump us on the street even in the event of their closure which i really think won't ever happen.

[KarmaShaman]

props are not going bust.

You're starting to sound like someone else over on PUF.

Who would have thought Worldcom would go bust? Or Enron ? What about the GFC? We're of a similar age, so I'm sure you took a pretty big hit on your superannuation nest egg in the last few years. Did you see that coming? End consumers are always the last ones to know, and only then when it's too late.

props care to much

I really didn't think you bought into the hype they carry on with. There's no 'care', they aren't our lovers, our mentors, our parents or our friends. Just another software company.

R8 selling even better than R7

These are just empty words on a screen. 'Facts' can be manipulated any number of ways. Consider this:

Each year the company would be gaining more users. It's a simple model of growth. I'll use small numbers here for ease of flow.

100 users were on V6. 80 of those upgraded to V7, and a further 50 new customers bought in to the DAW.

We now have 150 users in to total, representing a 130% 'sell'

150 users are on V7. 90 of those upgraded to V8, and a further 60 new customers bought into the DAW. We COULD look at this as 'selling better' but the reality would be that it's only a 100% 'sell'.

In the first two days, I find it ridiculous to think that they are getting a glut of new users, considering the negative comments all over the internet. They certainly won't be winning over guitarists or bass players, since the demo doesn't allow the flagship RE's to even be installed. I mean, what sort of oversight is that? The videos heavily promote Softube as a selling point, and it can't be trialled.

Have you also noticed that some of the biggest defenders in the lead up, the 'fanboys' if you will, have kept mysteriously silent since September 30th ? They have been online, perhaps too embarrassed to admit that the release was a huge let-down, despite their arguments to the contrary.

I can tell you that sales figures are always able to be worked in a manner that look more appealing. In this case, it's a throw away comment by a marketing person, and even if it was the 'truth' in a manner of speaking, we won't have the data to see how they come to this conclusion.

Or, we could simply ignore the above example entirely, and consider that their marketing budget was much higher this time, their social media presence increased, and they had more videos. That alone is going to drive more sales, regardless of the product's integrity.

Don't believe the hype, Theo. That company are more marketing focused than ever before. Their success no longer lies in version releases, but the money tree that Rack Extensions have become. For our sake, I really hope they do keep turning a profit.

For me though, it's the first time I'm looking at incorporating another DAW into my process. I'm not turning away, but it would be good to slowly build some user knowledge on another platform as a backup. I am increasingly finding the VST model an overall safer bet.

[zvenx]

Does wizoo fall in this category? (Although i think there was a workaround up to a point)
Rsp

[RunBeerRun]

You should only buy software that can be installed offline. What are you going to do in 5 years? 20? Do you plan to be dead inside by then and no longer interested?

[KarmaShaman]

You should only buy software that can be installed offline. What are you going to do in 5 years? 20? Do you plan to be dead inside by then and no longer interested?

I'm already dead inside.

Your point is a valid one, and something I have been considering for dome time. The Reason plugins aren't d/loaded as .exe, they magically appear already installed once the transfer is complete via the authorizer software. I have no idea if the raw files even exist locally on my machine.

I'm also screwed reinstalling the DAW after an OS reformat if I am unable first deregister then reregister my PC as the virtual auth key.

If I were a religious man, I would be praying daily for the companys continued success as a 10million operation. Or.. I can start looking towards an industry recognized product.

[arkmabat]

Hrm. I'm trying to think of plugs I have where the company could cease to exist (and it wouldn't be that weird).

Sausage Fattener?

[Kraznet]

I think RND plug-ins disapeared without trace. They were originally Roger Nichols Digital. But I can't remember the full details although there was a tangled web of intrigue involved.

[BDeep]

I think RND plug-ins disapeared without trace. They were originally Roger Nichols Digital. They were originally Elemental Audio but were bought out by Nichols. But I can't remember the full details although there was a tangled web of intrigue involved.

Oh yeah, that's true, and some of that line of plugins first existed as another brand. Forgot the name of that, but they were pretty good for the time I believe.

[fese]

I don't really like CR copy protection either, but to be fair, if a developer disappears for whatever reason and you bought e.g. some serial protected VST from him, you might still run into problems some time because maybe your then shiny new OS/DAW only supports 128bit plugins or the installer doesn't work anymore or Apple decides that in MacOS "Genet" you can only install software from the AppStore or windows 12 will only run from the Cloud as a subscription service ($149/year) ...
If a you want to be sure your plugin still runs in ten years, make sure it is a simple one (one DLL) and use Windows or never update your current MacOS. Or buy hardware

[djanthonyw]

If authorization is offline, then there will always be a way to run it even if it comes down to using a virtual machine. I don't like relying on a company at all to use the software licenses I purchase. I will not "beg" for more authorizations or deal with software which the company treats like hardware (dongles).

I'm not going to keep watch on a bunch of dfferent and useless pieces of extra plastic. If I wanted extra hardware, I would just buy actual hardware.

I want to be able to install and run the software I purchase anytime no matter what without having to contact anyone regardless of how many times I upgrade to a new machine.