Att'n Developers: Rent Your Plugins

[Fritze]

I agree, more plugins should be available for rent (I think Waves already does). For instance, I wanted to do some denoising, and ended up using the Izotope RX demo. Then I had to do more denoising after the demo expired. Now, I only needed one plugin from the pack for something I don't need to do regularly (i.e. denoise audio). In this case, being able to rent the plugin for a week would have benefited both me and Izotope.

Once this particular job was done, I'd never need to denoise at any point in the foreseeable future so purchasing RX would have been silly.

In addition, I can go out and rent a microphone, a drum kit, a hardware compressor, an EQ, etc. Why not a plugin (biggest difference is the initial cost obviously).

Makes total sense to me!

[Nielzie]

guy's it'll disappoint you but we already rent most of the software we use.

windows,osx all rent,no, it is not yours and you are only allowed to use them when you bought them.
they can ban you using their software if there would be a weighty law point,even when you bought a license.

so when you think you own absynth for example,you don't own it,you rent the license.

now,be nice to NI !

Technically if you're talking about C/R protected software, yes.

[aMUSEd]

No one remember Sam(plitude) for rent then?

[MoodyB]

Sonalksis let you rent their plugins.

No idea how long they've been doing it, but it was an option a few months ago when I tried the StereoTools demo.

[mandolarian]

Adobe rents their Creative Suite. But, only by the month, not the hour. Hourly VST rental would add another authentic vibe to the virtual studio.

[aMUSEd]

Usine's licensing is effectively a rental agreement - you get it and all updates for a year, then you need to renew (at a reduced rate).

[jonahs]

I had this idea as well, but inspired by the http://www.onlive.com/ gaming system. It'd be safe for developers as the copy protection would be unbeatable. When the latency becomes an issue you can buy the plugin. I envision myself buying more plugins because I don't have to go through the hassle of downloading, installing and uninstalling. Often times I install a time limited demo and then forget about it until it is expired or nearly expired.

[Teksonik]

I bet you did extremely well in your high school debates with arguments like that.

You put forth the idea....it's up to you to sell it which you haven't done in the least bit...... the idea simply does not make sense.

Replies like these really bring down a forum made for discussion..

Unlike your stimulating reply. The idea simply does not make sense....end of story.....

[pough]

In the more than decade I've been using plugins I've never had a Demo period expire before I decided whether or not I wanted to purchase a product.

I have.

Usually it takes less than an hour before I decide..... you either want to purchase a product or not.......

Or you don't know yet. Or you get bogged down with other stuff. Or...

renting it makes absoulely no sense unless you just want to use the plugin for one project, render it and not have to pay full price for the plugin.

That's a good idea. I like that! An example would be a small scale producer who's going to get paid to make a song with crappy autotune. They could rent a plugin they'd rather die than own, make the song and get paid, then go back to more satisfying work and let Satan's Own Plugin wither away and die without having paid more money for it than a single song's use would justify.

I see no advantage to the Developer.

True, apart from having made some money instead of none. But yeah, apart from the making money bit, no advantage.

[Teksonik]

I bet you did extremely well in your high school debates with arguments like that.

You put forth the idea....it's up to you to sell it which you haven't done in the least bit...... the idea simply does not make sense.

I am going to draw you a picture, and I promise it's not to be condescending

Day 1: Customer downloads plugin
Day 30: Demo period expires. Customer "I really want that but can't afford it". Developer "doh, he didn't buy it".

Option A: Nothing. Customer saves for the plugin, and potentially buys the newer better plugin inevitably released later.

Option B: "oh well it's only $20 to rent, I can afford that"

Day 60: "oh no my rental expires today and I just adore this plugin,it's all over my tracks. oh well it's only another $20 for another 30 days".

Day 90: "oh no, it expires today again. But wait for $50 more I can now own this plugin". Sold.

Customer win, developer win.

Sorry still doesn't make sense.....you want to keep track of all the rentals and different expiration times? The dev will have to code an expiration date into each separate rental....and then reprogram a new one every time each one gets renewed.....

[Teksonik]

In the more than decade I've been using plugins I've never had a Demo period expire before I decided whether or not I wanted to purchase a product.

I have.

Usually it takes less than an hour before I decide..... you either want to purchase a product or not.......

Or you don't know yet. Or you get bogged down with other stuff. Or...

renting it makes absoulely no sense unless you just want to use the plugin for one project, render it and not have to pay full price for the plugin.

That's a good idea. I like that! An example would be a small scale producer who's going to get paid to make a song with crappy autotune. They could rent a plugin they'd rather die than own, make the song and get paid, then go back to more satisfying work and let Satan's Own Plugin wither away and die without having paid more money for it than a single song's use would justify.

I see no advantage to the Developer.

True, apart from having made some money instead of none. But yeah, apart from the making money bit, no advantage.

Sorry still weak arguments........The dev will make $20 or $40 instead of $120 for a plugin....and have the logistical nightmare of trying to keep track of each expiration date and re-setting each expiration each time........

Sorry guys it's just a bad idea...nothing personal just not a well thought out concept. Oh I forgot to add....in my opinion of course.....

[Mushy Mushy]

@ Teksonik: there is absolutely no burden on the developer. He makes say a 14 day version, a 30 day version and a 60 day version, This is as simple as modifying the existing demo code that uses x many days. I'm no developer but I would think this should take all of 30 mins.

Once they are rented the developer does nothing. The customer is the one who comes back after the expiry date for a renewal. There is no reason why this would need to be monitored. If a purchase happens later, the customers history will show how many previous rentals and therefore discount applicable. It really is easy.

[valhallasound]

@ Teksonik: there is absolutely no burden on the developer. He makes say a 14 day version, a 30 day version and a 60 day version, This is as simple as modifying the existing demo code that uses x many days. I'm no developer but I would think this should take all of 30 mins.

I'm a developer. If you have a plugin that doesn't time out after x days, then it is a burden to implement your sugggestion.

In general, those tweaks that take 30 minutes to code, take a long time to actually get out into the world as a final product. Take your tweaks, and multiply by the number of formats you have to release things for (VST/AU/RTAS/AAX, 32/64 bit, OSX/Win). Then factor in testing. And contacting all customers. A 30 minute tweak can quickly turn into a few full work days.

Plus, I have absolutely no interest in implementing a rental plugin system. But that is just this developer talking. Others may have a different mindset.

Sean Costello

[Vintage73]

Adobe does this with their software. My 3d software has a subscription service so that when then next version comes out you get the upgrade (if your subscription is current).

I admit that there would need to be development time and costs, but I love the idea of being able to "Lease-to-Own" Omnisphere, for example.

I have a feeling that companies would attract customers that they ordinarily wouldn't get because of a price-point, and that they'll at least get something rather than nothing at all.

[Teksonik]

@ Teksonik: there is absolutely no burden on the developer. He makes say a 14 day version, a 30 day version and a 60 day version,

30 Days from when? 60 days from when? If I rent a plugin for thirty days that 30 days starts on the day I rent it..if Joe rents a 30 day the next day and Bill a 30 days the next now you've got to track when my 30 days expires, when Joe's 30 days expires and when Bill's thirty days expires. How would the software know when the thirty days starts? That's right it would have to encoded or tracked some way in each download.......

See a developer's response above.........

It really is easy.

If you don't think it through then it might appear to be easy but what small or mid sized developer has the resources to track payments and expiration dates etc etc? I wouldn't want any part of it.........