Pro Tools is Now Subscription Only

[noiseboyuk]

What you should be taking away is that the industry is telling you that you're still a frog in the water and it's just not boiling yet.

I use Pro Tools to run the post side of my business. It has to be Pro Tools as I often final mix at other studios and that’s what they use. Yet apparently this makes me a frog dying in ever-heating water.

I hate Avid’s pricing policies and their business decisions. I think ultimately it will hurt them. But thus far they’ve got away with it. Not because we’re all fan boys and girls or any other such drivel, but because we’re professionals, and professionals have to make hard-headed business decisions based on what they need to do. In short, I suck it up because it is still the best solution for a lot of what I need to do, and that goes for most of their customer base.

If I were just making music no way would I be using Pro Tools any more. However frustrating elements of Cubase might be, I can do everything I need to in there music-wise, no question. Were I in another side of the music business, it might be different.

As it is, this update is tedious and disappointing, but it doesn’t make my pretty bad situation any worse. As a DAW it’s far more pleasant to use than Cubase, slowly it has improved over the past few years, just about enough to make it worth updating. Just. In the balance of it, it’s worth me carrying on with perpetual and a support plan. If it went to subs only, I’d likely stay static for as long as I possibly could. What goes for me likely goes for many.

Apologies if this is all a bit nuanced.

As for trend, no I’m absolutely not convinced, with this only the 2nd major audio developer to migrate purely to subscription in 10 years, and even then there are caveats. This is the worst possible time for the hobbyist market to bank on subscriptions, with disposable income dropping. We may get the odd other one or two here or there, but the idea that this is an inevitable avalanche still doesn’t seem evidence-based to me.

[noiseboyuk]

....I use PT Ultimate for Post, and Cubase for music. Pro Tools is far, far better for basic audio work, it's more stable and reliable...

I also use both, for the same purposes as you and would like to ask you to further elaborate on this because I completely disagree.
This is completely untrue in my experience.

One quick example (it’s my bedtime) - offline processing. Cubase is a horrible mess. It gets confused - I fix one clip, move to the next and then the previous one reverts to the unprocessed version. I have no end of trouble with it. Pro Tools Audio Suite is pure joy by comparison. Works with handles that I can set easily - it’s terrific.

[jamcat]

I use Pro Tools to run the post side of my business. It has to be Pro Tools as I often final mix at other studios and that’s what they use.

Therein lies the rub. Everyone uses it because everyone uses it. But if Avid can’t get their act together on Apple Silicon fast, the dominoes are going to start falling. Once that starts, it’s over for Pro Tools.

[noiseboyuk]

Also, I don’t think they’d be making such a drastic change if what they were doing was working. Pandemic Panic is all but over finally and Avid will come crashing back to earth. Especially with stagflation now and recession on the horizon.

I think this latest move is an attempt to mitigate what’s coming, since subscription models provide stable, predictable income. But they’re shrinking their customer base in exchange for that little bit of stability. Even if their survival plan works, they’re going to come out the other side in a worse position than they are going in.

The pro audio industry is never going back to fully pre-pandemic. The cottagisation of the industry was already a clear direction of travel, COVID accelerated it massively and it’s a more efficient way of working. Same for other post elements such as video editing, grading, vis fx.

By contrast, I think we’re about to see subscriptions becoming entirely unstable. They can and will be dropped. People are only just figuring out they only need subscribe to Netflix two months a year, Apple two months a year etc, saving 80% and still watching everything. Because it all adds up. If a music maker is subscribing to a dozen services and then they can’t afford bread and milk, what do you think will happen? Those services will be the first to go.

That’s the hobbyist sector mind. If a pro needs something they’ll keep paying for it. But I’d guesstimate 98% of music making sales are hobbyist.

[noiseboyuk]

I use Pro Tools to run the post side of my business. It has to be Pro Tools as I often final mix at other studios and that’s what they use.

Therein lies the rub. Everyone uses it because everyone uses it. But if Avid can’t get their act together on Apple Silicon fast, the dominoes are going to start falling. Once that starts, it’s over for Pro Tools.

Here we agree. Avid aren’t in mortal danger yet. But keep stuffing up, and they will be.

[RSL369]

As a DAW it’s far more pleasant to use than Cubase...

Ok now I know you're being completely subjective and no one should take your claims too seriously.
"far more" is a heavy phrase, I suggest you start using it sparingly and put an "IMO" here and there, just to put the things into perspective.

[RSL369]

....I use PT Ultimate for Post, and Cubase for music. Pro Tools is far, far better for basic audio work, it's more stable and reliable...

I also use both, for the same purposes as you and would like to ask you to further elaborate on this because I completely disagree.
This is completely untrue in my experience.

One quick example (it’s my bedtime) - offline processing. Cubase is a horrible mess. It gets confused - I fix one clip, move to the next and then the previous one reverts to the unprocessed version. I have no end of trouble with it. Pro Tools Audio Suite is pure joy by comparison. Works with handles that I can set easily - it’s terrific.

Never had that problem, but yeah, ymmv

[noiseboyuk]

As a DAW it’s far more pleasant to use than Cubase...

Ok now I know you're being completely subjective and no one should take your claims too seriously.
"far more" is a heavy phrase, I suggest you start using it sparingly and put an "IMO" here and there, just to put the things into perspective.

Consider IMHOs added to every sentence I write.

[RSL369]

On my system they both work fine, both are very stable, they each have their strengths and weaknesses and neither is "far better".
It all boils down to taste and preferences.

[BONES]

Between this and their lack of Apple Silicon support, I think all but the bitter-clingers are rushing for the exists.

I don't think you understand much about how businesses work. I imagine ProTools is a tiny part of Avid's business and I'm sure they will happily shutter it if it stops making financial sense for them. As I said, their move to a subscription model is probably in response to the customers they actually care about, who prefer it.

Similarly, their disinterest in Apple Silicon is also probably a reflection of the customers they care about, who don't upgrade to the latest and greatest the day its released. They'll undoubtedly support Apple Silicon when and if it makes sense for the customers they care about, which is not anyone who hangs around this dump.

Avid stock is up since the pandemic, as it’s no secret audio software has done quite well during lockdown. But it’s still only half of what it was at its peak in 2008. Avid’s been in the basement for the past decade.

Avid is NOT an audio company, they provide professional tools for video editors. Every professional video editor in the world knows how to cut on Avid because it's been the industry-standard since NLEs became a thing. I'd be surprised if M-Audio and ProTools was much more than 10% of their business. ProTools to Avid is probably like Windows Phone was to Microsoft.

Of course they're going to be concerned about losing existing customers and so they going to try to lure some of them back with "catch up now" perpetual licenses.

I doubt it. They will have watched Adobe, who is their main competitor, very closely and seen how they've made it work. And Adobe haven't just not offered a perpetual license, they won't activate them any more. I spent two grand of Creative Suite 6 about 10 years ago and it is now useless. Either I pony up for Creative Cloud every month or I do without. So I do without. And if Adobe doesn't care about a freelance motion graphics artist with 25years industry experience, you can bet that Avid won't care about losing any bedroom producers. Avid's other main competitor, Autodesk, also went to subscription only about the same time as Adobe so, if anything, Avid is a laggard.

Well if they can’t get the shit together on Apple Silicon it most certainly will.

Also, I don’t think they’d be making such a drastic change if what they were doing was working. Pandemic Panic is all but over finally and Avid will come crashing back to earth. Especially with stagflation now

Right, because you know so much more than they do about their business and their customers.

But they’re shrinking their customer base in exchange for that little bit of stability.

They probably see it as clearing out the dead wood, draining the swamp.

Even if their survival plan works, they’re going to come out the other side in a worse position than they are going in.

Not likely. It hasn't happened to Adobe or Autodesk.

[jamcat]

I’m talking about what’s going to happen as we pivot from global pandemic to global recession.

[husker37]

Businesses definitely prefer subscriptions because it allows them to forecast costs when they are doing their annual budgets.

Strong non concur. I manage software licensing for a large (multinational) corporation, and we hate subscriptions. Software maintenance fees are known - the idea that subscriptions make it easier to forecast annual budgets is just not true, if anything, subscriptions make that more difficult. Subscriptions only benefit the company, not the customer.

[Teksonik]

Too bad we can't have a subscription service for the music we create with apps like Pro Tools.

Every month people would have to pay again in order to keep listening to our music. (sarcasm)

If you hate subscriptions then all you can do is not subscribe to rental software. If sub services fail over and over then they'll go away.

But I wouldn't hold my breath. This is from Avid's second quarter earnings report from 2021.

"Subscription revenue was $21.5 million, an increase of 30.9% year-over-year".

So it looks like subs are here to stay......just without my participation.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-rele ... sults.html

[BONES]

Strong non concur. I manage software licensing for a large (multinational) corporation, and we hate subscriptions. Software maintenance fees are known - the idea that subscriptions make it easier to forecast annual budgets is just not true, if anything, subscriptions make that more difficult. Subscriptions only benefit the company, not the customer.

There's no substantial difference between an annual maintenance fee and a subscription, is there? Having worked for Autodesk for 6 years, I know for a fact that the vast majority of customers prefer the certainty of subscription fess over the random update cycle. And it's the same where I work now, Adobe CC is a lot less hassle for IT/engineering and it means we, the workers, have the most up to date software, rather than having to put up with versions that are several years out of date because no-one has budgeted for upgrades.

And can you imagine the uproar here if NI or Steinberg started charging an annual maintenance fee? There'd be rioting in the streets.

[Biome_Digital]

Shocked, really.