also you have plenty of time, until 31st august i think. plus i think it depends on whether your re uped through cakewalk or via 3rd part sellers like jrr, in which case i think they had to do a bit of work behind the scenes and for those the emails were coming out in batches, or something like that.

Clicking the newsletter link earlier showed the lifetime update at $99. I removed it from my cart. Now if I click the link, it shows up at $199. Can someone take a look at what's going on?

RD9

Anderton

RD9
What a bizarre turn of events.  Cakewalk's marketing efforts are painful to watch and have been for a while but this latest effort does not do the hard working programmers and customers justice.  Let's get back to the situation where Cakewalk offers a product for a price, not this grab bag approach.

 
It mystifies me that anyone would object to a company offering its customers more choices in tailoring a program for their individual needs and financial situation. "One size fits all" is no longer relevant. DAWs have evolved way beyond being MIDI sequencers that could also record audio. 

Craig
Just to clarify; My post was not about functionality or the number and type of products that CW offer.  It was about the way in which these offerings are articulated and delivered.  I personally would like to be treated as an valued and intelligent customer rather than a 5 year old at Christmas time.  What I am requesting is the following:
 
1) If CW has a new product or is changing the method of delivery (price, timing, etc) then articulate this clearly; be clear about what is being offered. 
 
2) If CW wants our opinion on a product or method of delivering it then articulate this clearly.
 
This is not the first time CW marketing tactics have created chaos with incomplete or unclear announcements and I am beginning to think they like watching the customers squirm.  From what I can see, though, you are doing your best to combat this and have always been an advocate for the customers so please accept my thanks.
 
Cheers
 
 
 
 

I'm not clear on why you think this announcement is unclear or that customers are squirming.  Nor do I see any chaos in what CW is proposing. 
 
I can't see any downside in the idea. I believe CW has asked us. They distribute surveys from time to time. They have a forum for features and so on.  

I've gotten a price of $525, $199, and $149... Perhaps tomorrow it will be $99. I'll wait and see. It is confusing, I'll check my email again.
Julien

hey guys ..longtime cake user ..no email here ..thanks

RD9
This is not the first time CW marketing tactics have created chaos with incomplete or unclear announcements and I am beginning to think they like watching the customers squirm.  From what I can see, though, you are doing your best to combat this and have always been an advocate for the customers so please accept my thanks.

I know what you're saying, but note the way this was rolled out...a specific offer to a specific group of people, who were asked not to post it on the forum. It was probably naive to think it wouldn't get posted, but it was, and unleashed a flurry of speculation (most of which is spectacularly wrong, but...it sure gives a great idea of what people have as their prioritized "wish lists," as opposed to just feature requests!).
 
My sense is that Cakewalk has been totally taken aback by the response. I think they intended a quiet sort of "thanks loyal users" by giving them an option before the main announcement on June 1, but like a wildfire, it spread rapidly. 
 
When I've consulted to businesses, most of them had backup plans if things failed or didn't work out as expected. I would always counsel to have backup plans if something turned out to be wildly successful - being too successful can also sink a company. I remember talking with the president of Alesis before ADAT was released, when he said it was going to be a big hit, and he expected to sell 5,000 in the first year. I was aghast. I said "You'll sell 5,000 a month!" As it turned out, my figure turned out to be the correct one, and they really had to scramble to compensate for not taking success into account. 
 
 
 
 
 

Rant alert...  it's been a few months but OY!!!
 
So many idiots....funny to see a complaint that cakewalk isn't treating us as intelligent... from an idiot! so much wasted rude and nasty blather.... 
 
I love this announcement.  I will await more info but it seems to addresses points made by many, some really whiny about it, since forever: "I don't wanna pay for x,y or z... blah blah blah...." or "I want a, b, or c.... waaaaaaaaa!"  Valid points in this day of ala carte, but pleasing everyone???  This is a brilliant move.
 
Personally I'll buy into a core upgrade program.  Already have well over 1200 vsts, the entire FF, IK, and Izotope bundles and a zillion others...dozens of everything!!!  Most mixing/mastering/effects/instrument plugs are irrelevant to me.  Same for synths/sample libraries and other tools... 6 TB of hard drive space nearly full. I'm sure many long time serious users/those of us who are members of GASaholics are in a similar boat.  I love ALL the core upgrades Cakewalk has introduced so far... patchpoints, mix control, etc... awesome stuff and am looking forward to arranging, console folders, etc... 
 
Love the idea of selectively acquiring, like with adding PC modules.  The new mastering tools could have also fallen into that category... I don't need them.  But others do so making them available ala carte makes total sense (YES, I KNOW they are included in the last update... I'm just sayin' in the future, this stuff ala carte makes way more sense...) Also, with more revenue coming from this, maybe more such goodies will be forthcoming for those desiring them.  And for many, I assume the yearly subscription model offers many of these as they are rolled out.  PERFECT for new users desiring add ons.
 
Money will still be coming in from the yearly subscribers...Do I fully understand the pathways being explored by the bakers?  No... I'm patient and look forward to information as it is rolled out.  Serenity...
 
I've said it before and it is NEVER appreciated by the ridiculous whiners that take offense... But as I've had to suffer through 25 pages of many idiotic comments and blather about stuff they don't have a clue about I'll exercise my right to say it again... our culture, our species is a MESS and a lot of the absurd bull crap littering these threads is illustrative and sad. Then again, Trump is actually a choice so wtf...this is just a slice of a ridiculous nightmare.
 
Mostly I love the forum... I really appreciate the active involvement and willingness to try different things by the humans who give us amazing tools, as well as all the awesome help offered here.  However, I wince at rude and mostly ignorant Ahole comments; lack of gratitude, respect and a total overdose of "me me me" and trollism. 
 
I treasure the miracle of what we can do today... unimaginable  a few decades ago.  Meanwhile, it hit 125 degrees with high humidity in India today... never before seen in human experience and people are dropping like flys, as in "dead" ...this is REAL and ramping fast.  We continue poking the bear and she is already giving millions a lot of real stuff to whine about. 
 
Spewing for nothing out of ignorance...about an offer, a new opportunity, one that is just being rolled out, which can be ignored if you want and which is available for months...seems a bit trite when one considers what's really going on that really will effect EVERY ONE OF US...
 
Thank you, Cakewalk... You have showered us with gifts and are boldly going forward in uniquely new directions... may you reap the rewards you deserve. 
 
Feel better now... I'll await the official announcement... nothing to see here.
 
 
 
 

I haven't received an email either.  I resubscribed late last year through JRR, so maybe those are being handled differently?  Anyway, if someone could tell me who I need to talk to in order to get the email sent to me, I'd appreciate it.
 

Andrew Rossa [Cakewalk]

rivers88
Is the newsletter signup working now?
 
Been a Cakewalk user since it was on floppies, signed up for the newsletter on numerous occasions - 
But still don't receive them... 

Yes please try it and let me know if you still don't get emails. 

Same here. The box is checked but never receive any.

Anderton

jpetersen
Once the funds from the initial life-model applicants dry up, where will the money come from to continue fixing the bugs?
 
Aren't we in danger of a kind of Ponzi scheme effect? More "investors" must be found to pay for those no longer contributing?

 
Only if Cakewalk's entire customer base consists solely of existing users, which is not the case. The more attractive SONAR becomes, the more new users will buy it. Artist proved that. There are also plans afoot for later this year which I think/hope will bring in yet another wave of new users. But here's the outline:
 
New SONAR users = more resources = improvements to flagship program to make existing customers happy = trickle-down technology from flagship product allows creating other new products that draw in more users = these users get hooked on Cakewalk and eventually become new SONAR users = more resources = improvements to flagship program to make existing customers happy = trickle-down technology from flagship product allows creating other new products that draw in more users = these users get hooked on Cakewalk and eventually become new SONAR users = more resources [rinse, lather, repeat].
 
 

This seems to be the reason that at making native mac version of sonar makes sense,more users,more business,more resources.

Anderton

RD9
....
1) If CW has a new product or is changing the method of delivery (price, timing, etc) then articulate this clearly; be clear about what is being offered. 
 
2) If CW wants our opinion on a product or method of delivering it then articulate this clearly.
 
This is not the first time CW marketing tactics have created chaos with incomplete or unclear announcements...  From what I can see, though, you are doing your best to combat this and have always been an advocate for the customers so please accept my thanks.

I know what you're saying, but note the way this was rolled out...a specific offer to a specific group of people, who were asked not to post it on the forum. It was probably naive to think it wouldn't get posted, but it was, and unleashed a flurry of speculation (most of which is spectacularly wrong, but...it sure gives a great idea of what people have as their prioritized "wish lists," as opposed to just feature requests!).
 

Craig,
As we all know "honesty is the best policy" and this is really at the heart of what I have been suggesting; Clarity in what is being offered, what the cost is and who is eligible.  
 
This is likely to be my last post in this Forum since my membership runs out soon.  I wish CW the best and would like to thank all the Forum members for their assistance and advice.
 
Cheers
 
 

First try at buying the lifetime membership ended up in an unsuccessful collision: Cleverbridge reported my credit card had been declined, but credit card company said the transaction had been approved. Waited a few days, tried again with success. My product page now shows membership to infinity. I anticipated continuing Platinum updates next year by paying a discounted $99 next January anyway. Easy decision to pay now (amounts to early action on buying 2017 like planned) and get all remaining years included as well. And now the May update is finally out (in "early look" mode), soothing any fears that the big announcement might throw a wrench into the schedule of monthly updates. I could have waited a couple of weeks to see the rest of the announcements, but Cakewalk's history of delivering high value over the past year gave me enough confidence to jump in now. Will be interesting to learn what else is coming up.
 
Note to Cakewalk: I apologize for posting part of my notification email content in this thread. I didn't see the confidentiality request until third reading, in part because it was way down at the bottom (had to scroll twice) and in small print, and the "for your eyes only" above was easy to take as applying to the link. Perhaps a different design might reduce the rate of errors if future communications go this route.

Good morning 
One question. Is there a core difference between the now plat, pro, artist. Or just a difference of added features like a difference in car packages?