Cakewalk: "Big announcements coming June 1st, 2016"

[jens]

You own whatever version of the full product you had before you started paying.

Plus all the updates that have been released within the period of your membership, is it not so?

As far as I know everything you ever legally downloaded an installed from the Cakewalk servers (at least theoretically) keep working until forever.

Like I said, if you've paid for a version for a minimum of 12 consecutive months, you've paid for it outright, and get whatever version it was on when you last paid. If you havent paid for a version for a minimum of 12 consecutive months, you havent bought it outright, you dont own it.

Up to 12 months : you're buying the product in installments
12 months : you own the product
Past 12 months : you're buying the most recent month's update

Ah, got you now.

[jens]

Arossa, I have a question:

they talked about it in the video, but I didn't quite understand it (might be my lack of English skills) - what about extra content (plugins) that was always a big part of the attraction of the top-of-the-line paid updates?
As they said it in the video I understood it so that such additional content (understandably) won't be part of the lifetime update membeship, but now you say it is content-wise exactly the same as the anual paid-for updates* - so which is it?

That all really depends on several factors but we'll still be making plugins and content to sell separately, like we do today. But for example, when TH3 came out it was included in the update. So was Melodyne 4 Essential, which was a free update anyway I believe. We updated the mastering plugins and included that in the update. But we also released Rapture Pro and that was available separately. These kinds of decisions about what to include in the program have always been there and we have passed on bundling deals in the past because it didn't make financial sense.

The other factor here is that the majority of feedback we have gotten is that people don't want plugins as much as they want improvements to the core program. Editing, MIDI, Comping, and yes we know about notation. That being said, we've introduced some cool core features over the past few years and we have some ideas for UI enhancement including the workspaces we announced two days ago. There's more to come as well.

I hope this helps clarify a little. Understand I can't reveal the entire product roadmap but we are tackling some big areas of the program so these aren't just minor fixes moving forward. And that hasn't been the case over the past 18 months.

Yes, sure you might sell some plugins as individual products - I wouldn't ever expect you to include everything you might ever develop. But yes, I was speaking about such stuff as TH3, so your answer is exactly what I had hoped to hear - then it's really a no-brainer for me. Cheers!

[jens]

Calling it a membership or even subscription is silly and causing all sorts of confusion. They should just call it a payment plan and be done with it.

Exactly my point - they obviously failed to make it clear enough that whoever downloads whatever (legally) from them is fully entitled to keep and use it forever.

[Numanoid]

Exactly my point - they obviously failed to make it clear enough that whoever downloads whatever (legally) from them is fully entitled to keep and use it forever.

*lol*

it's really none of your f**king business what they do

Talk about backseat CEO fail

[flugel45]

.... they obviously failed to make it clear enough that whoever downloads whatever (legally) from them is fully entitled to keep and use it forever.

Of course they have. Those who are serious about buying can read the FAQ and have all of their questions answered at the CW forum. I have yet to see a user who has actually bought the upgrade say he is surprised that he owns it after a certain period.

It's only the casual observer who is doing "drive-by" reading of these crazy threads that gets confused and, in turn, spreads the wrong info. There's not a whole lot CW can do about that.

[jens]

Exactly my point - they obviously failed to make it clear enough that whoever downloads whatever (legally) from them is fully entitled to keep and use it forever.

*lol*

it's really none of your f**king business what they do

not really the same thing...

[jens]

It's only the casual observer who is doing "drive-by" reading of these crazy threads that gets confused and, in turn, spreads the wrong info. There's not a whole lot CW can do about that.

They could have been doing a lot to prevent that... it's a significant part of their user-base who misunderstood after all...

[glokraw]

It's only the casual observer who is doing "drive-by" reading of these crazy threads that gets confused and, in turn, spreads the wrong info. There's not a whole lot CW can do about that.

They could have been doing a lot to prevent that... it's a significant part of their user-base who misunderstood after all...

I'm a casual observer of my Reaper license. Casual is all that's needed.
And all that should ever be needed to buy and upgrade software.
I need all my mental gymnastics reserved to learn audio production.

I was at a computer recycler today, who had a wall of
aluminum core2 duo El Capitan iMacs for $150 each.
If Sonar cpu demand on older processors is low, there
could be a lot of cheap Macs for windows users to add to
the studio arsenal, even bring in the Mainstage Alchemy version for
$33 or whatever pittance apple charges.

[worstcaseontario]

These Cakewalk/Gibson guys seem poised to either take over everything, or cash right out as soon as they have enough "lifetime" memberships cash.

I think I will find a hundred bucks or whatever the upgrade to their lifetime membership or whatever they call it costs, and bet on them taking over.

Then I will be able to say, " Yeah, I was into Sonar WAY before it became "cool",man" .

[jlaws]

So with the lifetime membership, new features along the lines of drum replacer and vocal sync might not be included. Would such features be included in a regular yearly subscription?

[SJ_Digriz]

So with the lifetime membership, new features along the lines of drum replacer and vocal sync might not be included. Would such features be included in a regular yearly subscription?

No, as has been said over and over, there is no difference between the subscription/membership/lifetime things. They are identical in content.... Until of course they offer a bundle sometime in the future.

[jlaws]

So what they're gonna do is charge separately for new features? The post seems to have been deleted, but the cakewalk spokesperson was saying that the only updates that might not be included are features like drum replacer and vocal sync. Well those features were obviously included in the subscription before. So it seems like they're giving lifetime memberships but for the big new features they might make you pay separately which sucks because up until now it hasn't been that way...

[Robert Randolph]

So what they're gonna do is charge separately for new features? The post seems to have been deleted, but the cakewalk spokesperson was saying that the only updates that might not be included are features like drum replacer and vocal sync. Well those features were obviously included in the subscription before. So it seems like they're giving lifetime memberships but for the big new features they might make you pay separately which sucks because up until now it hasn't been that way...

If the post was deleted, it could have been the incorrect information you know.

[jens]

So what they're gonna do is charge separately for new features? The post seems to have been deleted, but the cakewalk spokesperson was saying that the only updates that might not be included are features like drum replacer and vocal sync. Well those features were obviously included in the subscription before. So it seems like they're giving lifetime memberships but for the big new features they might make you pay separately which sucks because up until now it hasn't been that way...

No nothing has been deleted - Arossa said nothing along the lines of what you are claiming he did. Either you misunderstood or you are making it up. Please stop spreading misinformation. All he said is that they might sell plugins seperately from Sonar in the future.

You can read his reply to my question above on this very page here (as a quote of mine). His original post (which he posted yesterday) is on the previous page and as you can easily verifiy it has not been edited.

Again: stop spreading misinformation!

[SJ_Digriz]

So what they're gonna do is charge separately for new features? The post seems to have been deleted, but the cakewalk spokesperson was saying that the only updates that might not be included are features like drum replacer and vocal sync. Well those features were obviously included in the subscription before. So it seems like they're giving lifetime memberships but for the big new features they might make you pay separately which sucks because up until now it hasn't been that way...

It doesn't suck, because I can choose if I want to pay the extra or not. If all I ever want is features and bug fixes for Sonar, then I'm now off the hook from now on.

I seriously don't understand how people are butt hurt over this. I thought the June 1 marketing stunt was total BS, but the lifetime updates is a great/big deal. FL do just fine that way. And if you want one of their synths or plugins, you can pay extra. If you just want to keep on the FL train, your done shelling out cash.

It's like you want to mad about something. Here's an idea .. don't do the lifetime upgrade and stay subscription/membership month by month. Then it works exactly how it does now and you don't have to be a dickhead about anything.