4.3.8 is up

[shaboogen]

Bug fixes are not guaranteed to be included in your 1 year plan, but features that you don't know about. So you only buy the product as it is in the present, and the added 1 year is just a bonus you should not care about just as your salary's bonus could be denied any time.
You, the customer fund some developers as if you were an investor, but without having any say in the product. Nice try Bitwig. What do you think about this paradigm change pdxindy, and others?

In-version bug fixes are absolutely included in your plan, bugs fixed in the next version aren't. This is exactly the same as if a bug from Live 9 is fixed in Live 10, or Cubase 11 to Cubase 12 etc. Sometimes, you have to pay for the next version to get things fixed, that's software in general (and honestly an argument for subscription programs).

In all honesty, my gut reaction to the paid add-ons is not a positive one, this type of model is far from unprecedented though. Reason Studios have released a tonne of rack extensions like Algoritm or the Drum Sequencer that were only available as paid add-ons before Reason+ was a thing.

I don't love this direction, but Bitwig has earned enough of my trust at this point for me to believe that they're not going to take the piss with it. If that changes, I'll vote with my wallet and go somewhere else. Other people's lines may occur earlier than mine, I'd suggest they do the same.

[SLiC]

Yup, suddenly lots of threads about how unhappy people are with paid add ons...I can't see many people buying this (So I hope Bitwig don't need money to continue) and I can see a lot of anger and loss of good will in Bigwigs future...we rode out the upgrade plan introduction on the bases that we would get updates like this...now it seems we will get 'some' updates and pay for others. The optics of this move aren't great, but if we have great 'included' update very soon it may be forgotten...personally I am not greatly interested in these devices so maybe better for me that this isn't the next 'included' update as I still have that to come!

[pdxindy]

Yup, suddenly lots of threads about how unhappy people are with paid add ons...I can't see many people buying this (So I hope Bitwig don't need money to continue) and I can see a lot of anger and loss of good will in Bigwigs future...we rode out the upgrade plan introduction on the bases that we would get updates like this...now it seems we will get 'some' updates and pay for others. The optics of this move aren't great, but if we have great 'included' update very soon it may be forgotten...personally I am not greatly interested in these devices so maybe better for me that this isn't the next 'included' update as I still have that to come!

If they want to implement a new approach, fine, but do it in an ethical way.

Everyone who has an active plan should get Spectral Suite free and announce that in the future there may be paid add-ons not included. They could also create an update plan that includes any Add-ons released in the next 12 months. But my current plan as is, is supposed to give me all new releases.

How they have gone about this feels a bit dirty...

[_leras]

Seem like nice built in plug ins.

I can only imagine that they have had to license the code from someone else and are just integrating it...

...but new tools not in the update plan. hmmm. Will have to send them an email.

They definitely need better comms around this imo...