I see NI have just started with a subscription offering.....'Komplete Now'

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

in my case it would be called "De-Complete Now" and generally it should be called "In-Complete Now"

"NI Komplete" is an anagram for "InKomplete."

...Which frankly, is much catchier a name for this particular offering.

[noiseboyuk]

What are you on about? I’ve read a few of your comments that ignore some of the elephants in the room regarding problems with subscriptions.

Ok, let's go through these:

Adobe: changed to subscription model but offer perpetual licenses of their last bundle, CS6

As far as I'm aware, the subscription was announced and that was that - it was the end of perpetual overnight. They may have done a one-time final offer, but this doesn't count as a company who ran the two things side by side for a while and then ditched perpetual.

Avid’s Pro Tools: changed to a subscription, supposed to offered alongside a perpetual license *but* once that perpetual license only covers 1 year of maintenance updates plus penalties if you don’t subscribe before the year is over.

Again, this isn't the same as the case here. As you say, the moment they started subs they added the support package to their perpetual licenses to make the sub-lite. They never operated the two systems side by side and then eroded the perpetual license - they eroded it right away.

Izotope: subscriptions offered alongside perpetual licenses *but* new feature and updates offered to subscription users before eventually being rolled to perpetual users.

They've keep going with their perpetual licenses in exactly the same way as they always have. No change whatsoever. Sales, deals, new versions - just as before. They throw an occasional early feature into the subs, but perpetual license-holders get them on the next update in the normal way. They're not penalised.

So 0/3 there in terms of the widespread fear that starting softly softly optional subscription is the thin end of the wedge. Again, I think it MUST have happened somewhere, but it hasn't in any of these three cases. In each of those, when the subs came in, they set up their own rules and have stuck to them.

[mellotronaut]

in my case it would be called "De-Complete Now" and generally it should be called "In-Complete Now"

"NI Komplete" is an anagram for "InKomplete."

...Which frankly, is much catchier a name for this particular offering.

Ana has lost some weight indeed

[SLiC]

I really don't blame for companies try to make money with subscription, but I think we will start to see a lot of music related software companies going under or merging in the next few years as the market is so saturated and everyone is just used to picking up software for 80% off at some point...

Anyway...sweepstake, IK next to offer subscription, then Arura

[v1o]

So the deal is that you give them your credit card details and they give you 3 months free. Their database now has a new paying customer who has not yet paid. Most will probably cancel, but they are pleased to have got something for nothing. NI are pleased because they now have a new paying customer who has not actually yet paid but might in the future. The database manager is pleased because he has new data. Whats not to like?

The reasons they do that is because a sizeable number of people always forget to cancel before the trial period ends. It's like a gym membership, some people pay their memberships but don't go to the gym.

[felis]

So I wonder why people are getting their panties into a bunch... Perpetual licenses are staying unchanged and available and there are no plans to remove that at all. Subscription here is just another option, another entry point, nothing else. And this was mentioned a number of times in the past few years.

As long as it's just another offering in addition to the way they've always operated in the past, I don't really have a problem with it.

I'd never go for it, but some people will probably like it.

[vurt]

My understanding is we are moving more and more towards a “sharing economy” where you don’t own as many things...

The plebs yes, the ruling class not so much, they will increasingly own everything including our DNA

so same as its ever been, but with clones?

[Spencer Maddox]

I don't like this at all.
I actually, perhaps controversially, am not opposed to a subscription version of Komplete. As long as the standalone would not be touched.
But what is this? A bunch of stripped down versions of products? A few Kontakt trendy libraries. If one wants to do the subscription route I can instantly think of far more value you can get for 9.99$/Month...

[Gribs]

Updating to Komplete MN Ultimate whenever it goes on sale is sort of like a subscription already, except with more products and unknown timing. I will stick with that.

I decided to go with Roland Cloud P4Life this time, though. I got an included one-year Pro subscription with my MC-707 and am keeping it going. I added the JD-800 legendary series for my P4Life perpetual license. They don't include Zenology Pro as a choice, unfortunately.

[midi_transmission]

1# Fear. I share it. Currently there are no plans, but we're old enough to know that this might change quickly. Could also be done by making the perpetual not attractive anymore.

This is the point in these threads where someone says that, and then I ask if anyone can name any developer who first introduced an optional sub, and then later made it sub only. I don't know how many times I've asked it, but to date no-one has ever suggested a name. Even I think there has to be one or two out there, but so far nada.

You may want to read the sections.

Creative Suite 6 + Discontinuation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Cre ... ve_Suite_6

[pierb]

Weird that it doesn't include everything from NI. I'm guessing they're measuring the interest in the included products and the subscription model.

[noiseboyuk]

You may want to read the sections.

Creative Suite 6 + Discontinuation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Cre ... ve_Suite_6

Happy to stand corrected - looks like there was a year when they were concurrent. So Adobe is one (brief) example, in 2012.

Still can't see any others.

[machine_spirit]

What are you on about? I’ve read a few of your comments that ignore some of the elephants in the room regarding problems with subscriptions.

Ok, let's go through these:

Adobe: changed to subscription model but offer perpetual licenses of their last bundle, CS6

As far as I'm aware, the subscription was announced and that was that - it was the end of perpetual overnight. They may have done a one-time final offer, but this doesn't count as a company who ran the two things side by side for a while and then ditched perpetual.

Avid’s Pro Tools: changed to a subscription, supposed to offered alongside a perpetual license *but* once that perpetual license only covers 1 year of maintenance updates plus penalties if you don’t subscribe before the year is over.

Again, this isn't the same as the case here. As you say, the moment they started subs they added the support package to their perpetual licenses to make the sub-lite. They never operated the two systems side by side and then eroded the perpetual license - they eroded it right away.

Izotope: subscriptions offered alongside perpetual licenses *but* new feature and updates offered to subscription users before eventually being rolled to perpetual users.

They've keep going with their perpetual licenses in exactly the same way as they always have. No change whatsoever. Sales, deals, new versions - just as before. They throw an occasional early feature into the subs, but perpetual license-holders get them on the next update in the normal way. They're not penalised.

So 0/3 there in terms of the widespread fear that starting softly softly optional subscription is the thin end of the wedge. Again, I think it MUST have happened somewhere, but it hasn't in any of these three cases. In each of those, when the subs came in, they set up their own rules and have stuck to them.

Ah I see, so no-one has ACTUALLY removed perpetual having introduced subs, but the deal is that developers hike up the perpetual prices having introduced subs.

I like how you just blandly ignore where you came from with your "argumentation", while ignoring the example i mentioned too.

[flori89]

I don't like this at all.
I actually, perhaps controversially, am not opposed to a subscription version of Komplete. As long as the standalone would not be touched.
But what is this? A bunch of stripped down versions of products? A few Kontakt trendy libraries. If one wants to do the subscription route I can instantly think of far more value you can get for 9.99$/Month...

I can see the value for subscriptions, the problem here is that the offer is utter shite. I mean in my case all the better, this certainly doesn’t cause any FOMO for me.

[DarkStar]

Maybe they could name this the "Kompletely Unkomplete Non-Collector's Subscription for Left-handed Music Producers"?

I feel like I have a knack for marketing

That's "handist". And sinister.