ORIGINAL: space_cowboy

Capitalism is the instrument of democracy. It allows people to chose by voting with their money. People that are anti-capitalism must not understand the linkage between capitalism, democracy and freedom of choice.

Read this book
Free To Choose

The next time you are upset about the price of gasoline, oil or something else that a cartel or monopoly is involved with, or the next time you choose an item on sale versus a full cost one, you are exercizing capitalism. It is an integral part of our lives in the US.

THis is not a pro-democrat or pro-republican philosophy. It is what America is founded on. Or was.

ORIGINAL: space_cowboy

Capitalism is the instrument of democracy. It allows people to chose by voting with their money. People that are anti-capitalism must not understand the linkage between capitalism, democracy and freedom of choice.

Read this book
Free To Choose

The next time you are upset about the price of gasoline, oil or something else that a cartel or monopoly is involved with, or the next time you choose an item on sale versus a full cost one, you are exercizing capitalism. It is an integral part of our lives in the US.

THis is not a pro-democrat or pro-republican philosophy. It is what America is founded on. Or was.

ORIGINAL: wormser

ORIGINAL: vintagevibe

Here's an example of a good acquisition result: No matter what you think of Digidesign, M-Audio has come out with an slew of excellent products since DD bought them. They have indeed flourished.

I'm pretty much an anti capitalist, however your statement is a true one.
I've given this some thought and two major companies come to mind which have a long history of buying/merging/investing in etc smaller companies, then milking them dry and in effect destroying them, IBM and Microsoft.

Of course this happens all the time, but IBM and Microsoft wrote the book on it and have been doing it for decades.

I am skeptical, however I do think this deal might be a good thing for us.

Maybe Roland will come out with a mid priced console, complete with flat screen, running Sonar?
That would be nice :)

quote:

ORIGINAL: vintagevibe

Here's an example of a good acquisition result: No matter what you think of Digidesign, M-Audio has come out with an slew of excellent products since DD bought them. They have indeed flourished.

ORIGINAL: Dickie Fredericks

This is a very funny thread. Its as if some of the folks using the product feel they have ownership in the company. Brand loyalty is cool but I dont care what you say. If I owned a company and I built it as far as I felt I could on my own and, a larger comapny wanted to buy part if not all of it, Id sell.

So no one here wants to cash in on their hard work? Gimme a break.

ORIGINAL: AJ_0000

I don't think there is any excuse for anger, but I do have concerns. When you're talking about a $500 program, in a field with a lot of technical issues, you have to be able to deal with a company you can rely on. Up to this point, Cakewalk has been that kind of company. I've been a loyal customer since Pro Audio 8 because Cakewalk supports their products with customer service and updates, responds to the needs of their users, and has shown a dedication to developing and improving the product to be the best in its class, which I believe it clearly is. If that changes, it would have a pretty big downside--the expense of buying a new program, the time spent learning to use it, and the probability if having to deal with companies that do not support their products as well.

Until such time as someone from Cakewalk decides to provide more details/reassurances, all we can do is guess. I think the most likely scenarios are these:

1) Cakewalk's founder (Greg H.) has been at it for 20 years, is starting to think about stepping back, and wants to cash in while retaining some control over what happens to the company.
2) Cakewalk has been suffering financially, and needs support.
3) Cakewalk wants to take the "next step" to dominance in their category, and concluded that they can't do it on their own.

The last option would be the best reason, but it could some combination of those. I don't think there is reason for alarm over the prospect of Roland gutting Cakewalk any time soon, because that would negate the purpose of buying in in the first place. Undoubtedly, they intend to extend their own position in the market. The question is what happens if/when Cakewalk fails to live up to Roland's expectations on some measure. Does Roland decide to dump all of the original people and put in their own? Do the people now working at Cakewalk decide to leave because of changes they don't like? Part of the concern is that Roland is a foreign company. When a company in one country buys a company in another country, they tend not view that company with the same value and understanding that they would if it were a company in their own country. Domestic companies also tend to know better how to serve their customers than foreign ones do. And there is no question that the transition from being a smaller company with a narrow focus to being part of a larger corporation with a broader focus has the potential of diluting the acquired company.

The one statement released so far leaves enough wiggle room that there is room for various interpretations, and concerns. I'm surprised at the silence here on the boards from the people at Cakewalk, considering how much discussion there has already been.

ORIGINAL: John

Mr. Space, Outstanding post. CW wouldn't exist without capitalism. I wonder what sequencer a state run committee would come up with. Would MIDI even exist? Would digital audio be at the beck and call of the home user? Would the record industry have happened? What would a controlled market system need with a DAW? To record subversive songs? I don't think so. LOL

ORIGINAL: AJ_0000


1) Cakewalk's founder (Greg H.) has been at it for 20 years, is starting to think about stepping back, and wants to cash in while retaining some control over what happens to the company.

ORIGINAL: AdamFH

The whole Cakewalk by Roland thing.