The Cloud and the Future of Plugins

[tony10000]

I have been following these forums for quite a while and have observed industry trends.

One of the more interesting (and potentially troubling) ones is the move to a subscriptions and Software as a Service (SAAS). I think Roland was the first with Roland Cloud, and more recently, Slate Digital and AIR have jumped in.

Propellerhead has recently demonstrated a cloud version of the Reason rack that enables you to access and play synthesizers over an internet connection, allowing a subscription model to be easily implemented with total control of plugin access. However, producers are not always in an area where the Internet can be easily accessed, so for them, an Internet-only solution would be a non-starter.

Adobe successfully pioneered SAAS for the graphic arts and creator community and you can no longer buy most of their products--you can only rent them via a monthly or annual subscription.

Rent-to-own is another popular model and seems to have much more traction than pure subscriptions via sites such as Splice.

Of course these are attractive models for developers since they can count on steady monthly income and it also alleviates software piracy.

The advantages for the musician/producer is a comparatively low cost of entry to obtain access to a nice suite of plugins that are always up to date. The professional also has a recurring monthly expense that is tax deductible. However, most of us have begun addicted to the illusion that we actually "own" the plugins we buy. The truth is, we license them and are bound by the terms and conditions of the licensing agreement.

If you have a lot of plugins, there is a very large initial capital expenditure and upgrade costs become a sizable expense if you want to have the "latest and greatest". And after a while, many plugins stop receiving support and can become unusable as operating systems change.

So, I am wondering how many folks here would consider going with subscriptions for plugins if you could get all you need for a fixed and affordable monthly cost?

[layzer]

subscription for plugins, subscription for porn... same thing. theres alot of both
out there for free, but pay every month for cloud plugins if you think they make your music sound better.

[Aloysius]

blah, blah, blah...

So, I am wondering how many folks here would consider going with subscriptions for plugins if you could get all you need for a fixed and affordable monthly cost?

twenty two plus five non binaries

[fisherKing]

we may be headed towards a cloud future, but it's not going to happen soon. not until the cloud is as instant, fast, and as accessible as an app stored on your computer.

even as we move in that direction, internal storage gets smaller, cheaper. so.. who knows? meanwhile, it's (for me, anyway), an unnecessary idea; i do my (music) work on one computer, and don't see any benefit to a cloud-based DAW, or plugins, etc (unless i want to spend more money every month... and i don't)

[Forgotten]

I don't particularly relish the thought of not being able to make music if my internet connection is down...

[Teksonik]

Here's an idea....if no one falls for the subscription scam it will die and then problem solved.

Simply boycott subscription plans and they'll cease to exist but that won't happen so in five years we'll really be complaining about the concept.

A wise man once told me...."The Cloud is simply someone else's computer".

Put bluntly I'll retire before I subscribe to renting software.

[CrystalWizard]

Here's an idea....if no one falls for the subscription scam it will die and then problem solved.

Simply boycott subscription plans and they'll cease to exist but that won't happen so in five years we'll really be complaining about the concept.

Great idea.

A wise man once told me...."The Cloud is simply someone else's computer".

Put bluntly I'll retire before I subscribe to renting software.

This is a common saying in IT circles. Just another bad idea but good moneymaker, catch phrase. There a very, very few good reasons for “the cloud” mostly it’s a money grab.

For those interested check out The Register Biting the Hand that Feeds IT. Lots of opinions on the cloud from the pros.

[fisherKing]

tell that to people who depend on the adobe suite, for example. no one who needs those apps is going to boycott adobe; people need to work.

we're a long way off from truly living in the cloud; it will happen, but not for some time.

[Teksonik]

Well if artists would have boycotted Adobe when it went subscription then it would still be a program you buy not rent.

Name one plugin that's subscription only that a Musician needs. Too many other alternatives. Hell there's not even a single plugin I need or even want for that matter that requires a Dongle. Again too many alternatives.

But my point is if we fall for crap like subscriptions (and dongles) then we've lost the right to bitch about them being a part of the industry.

Consumers drive the market but too many people aren't paying attention to the road. If you don't want a trend to exist then don't support it.

I have everything I need to make music so I won't miss anything by not paying monthly rent for software. I simply refuse to participate. Developers who go all subscription can KMFA.

(Not to be confused with Rent to Own which makes sense if you end up owning the software license and don't end up paying every month for the rest of your career).

It's kind of hard to recoup some of your investment if you want to sell a license second hand if you're only renting it.......

Anyway I've said my piece so I'm out of here.

[tony10000]

I don't particularly relish the thought of not being able to make music if my internet connection is down...

In the case of Slate Digital, they are using iLok so you can use it either with the online version of iLok or a dongle if you work offline. I am guessing that the dongle version is designed to time out after the subscription ends.

[fisherKing]

Well if artists would have boycotted Adobe when it went subscription then it would still be a program you buy not rent.

that doesn't work (sadly) if you're a professional. boycotting a developer vs making a living? most of us don't have the time (or resources) to 'make a point', if these are tools we need.

pro tools users are in the same boat; imagine you're boycotting avid, and not working... then someone down the street takes your clients, while you continue to not work, and make no money.

[vurt]

hey, you, get off my cloud

[chk071]

You know... the light speed in which new versions are released nowadays, it hardly matters anymore whether you own the software or not. Take a look at Steinberg's business model. Most people will upgrade to a new version anyway. So, it's basically a subscription model. Presonus are on a good way towards that as well, with Studio One. The only thing that differs is the frequency in which new versions are being released. For Steinberg, it's one year, if you cound the point upgrades, for Presonus, it's about 3 years.

I don't have any doubt that subscription models are the future. It happens everywhere else, so, it'll come more and more for audio apps as well.

[AnX]

i will NEVER pay a subscription / cloud fee

buy outright, or not at all (not that i ever buy anything)

[CrystalWizard]

tell that to people who depend on the adobe suite, for example. no one who needs those apps is going to boycott adobe; people need to work.

we're a long way off from truly living in the cloud; it will happen, but not for some time.

Some people are locked into Adobe just like M$ and ProTools (see my comment on the DAW thread)
I shitcanned my adobe suite last year after hemmoraging too much money into it. There are now other tools that do the job (or most of the job). People are just locked in (mostly large enterprise) and don’t want to (or can’t afford to) retrain using different toolsets. “Industry standard” bs. If the bean counters weren’t running the show it’s possible that a lot of even enterprise could switch, they’re actually starting to do it in some cases. Other than the behemoths there’s a huge market of pro, semi-pro, and ametuers who could avoid the vampies.

The cloud is a joke. As i commented there is little real reason for it. HDDs and SSDs are cheap as chips. Many hi end softwares include advanced networking abilities (such as DaVinci Resolve studio.)