Cakewalk International Distributon ... Killing the Company?

Hi Geoff:
I second your opinion about the international distribution system of Cakewalk products. I live in Brazil and here the official distribuitor is http://www.roland.com.br. If you go for that site, you not see one mention to Cakewalk products (yes, nothing, nada). I made a search in the site with the words Cakewalk, Pyro, Sonar and was returned zero entries.
When the distribution was maded by other company I not had problems. I made the purchase of Cakewalk Pro Audio and various updates without any problem, but after Roland was choosed as the official distribuitor, I simply not saw more one reference for Cakewalk products.
Strange, very strange. I believe Cakewalk need take a look in the problematic distribuitors around the world.
Greetings.

I never bothered going from Sonar 3 to 4.

I was keen when it first came out. But by the time it actually became available in Australia (I assume it is available - no one from intelliware answered my enquiry) I'd spent my money on other stuff and never got around to going back

Reading posts like these from Groveteer and gameera, I just can't understand why Cake persist in keeping their ehads firmly buried in the sand with regard to their International dealer network (so-called). There's a huge market out here ... I just can't figure out why they don't seem interested in getting tehir share of it.

Oh ... and memo to Cakewalk Marketing about that Pyro 5 sticky thread: please in future be good enough when posting these threads about special offers, whether thes eoffers are available to all customers or (like this one) First Class Customers (ie US customers on;ly). Save us wasting our time.

Edirol

When I upgraded to 4 PE I had to do it via Edirol; they handle all transactions for Germany from the UK for whatever reasons - and they charged UK VAT (higher than German VAT) which is a quite unusual business practice - BUT: they called me twice at home to enquire if I really wanted the full US manual (I stated that in the order) and delivered within days with full manual, no extra cost

Cakewalk International Distribution is practically non-existent.

I live in Mexico and when I upgraded from S2.2 to S4SE (through Roland AD) I had to make a couple of international calls since the Latin-american distributor is in the US and they don't even have a webpage.

I received an European manual with my copy of S4 even though we don't speak French or German in Mexico. It's doing a nice job lifting one of my monitors a couple of inches, though.

I had to order Kinetic from audiomidi.com because Cakewalk doesn't let me order online.

I can't take advantage of any special offers.

I can't buy downloadable software from Cakewalk.

I have never ever received any newsletter or offer email from Cakewalk.

I have emailed Cakewalk support without getting an answer.

I paid as much as anyone in the U.S. for my Sonar upgrade (even more if you consider taxes and S&H), but I'm not entitled to the same rights.

I want to buy P5v2 but I won't until Cakewalk changes their international policies because they are just plain wrong. I won't upgrade to S5 either.

I can't believe it's been more than two years and Cakewalk has done nothing about this.

Tonmann,

Check the link Dreamkeeper provided:

ORIGINAL: dreamkeeper


Sorry to hear about your bad experience. FWIW: Edirol (is this the same as Roland CE?) DID offer the PE upgrade for 99€ on their website. I couldn't purchase though because the only payment method they offer, is credit card and I don't have one. So I emailed them and got a reply saying that I can order via my local dealer. Took my serial no. with me and went to Musik Schmidt in Frankfurt. They called Edirol and I had my upgrade one week later.

Just had a look, it's still available: Edirol

You might get lucky...

ORIGINAL: LoopJunkie

We have to deal with "edirol.de". No special upgrade-offers or bundles for already registered cakewalk customers are available here!

I think meanwhile it's run out - when S4 was released they had an upgrade offer - slightly more expensive than the Cake website, but still acceptable.

Yes, but for example the special price offer for getting P5 for registered S4 users was not at all available through edirol! That are unfair practices IMHO.

Nick,

It's nice to have the support of some of our US colleagues,
for what is an International problem.

It seems that the fiasco of last year with the 'Euro Manual'
has not led Cakewalk to ensure the problems do not recurr.

I am now extremely worried that the Sonar 5 will now be
delivered to everyone with a tri-lingual manual which contains the
first 240 ish pages in English, French, and German.

No one wants it. and no one uses all three parts, but Cake seem to
think it's a Europe mandatory thing - NOT SO! If it was, why not
a third Spanish, a third Italian....... there's a few more, but you
get the picture.

The problem is that Cakewalk use distributors, who often have absolutely
NO loyalty to the Bakers, and couldn't care less about product sales, or
support.

Currently Cake have over a million customers, but that ain't gonna last
unless they start to show they really care about International Customer
support.

Pyro 5 is a case in point - not expensive, but any international person
can't order it direct from the website - that's Bizarre, because other
companies will allow it all the time. I know, I've used them, and my
credit card gets billed in dollars, and converted to UK pounds.

Colin

Another Excellent Point Colin!

I'm sure the vast majority of Global Customers would be much obliged to get the same English Language Manual that we enjoy here in the United States! I know I'd be up, "Poops Creek without a Paddle" if my Manual was written in Aborigine! (sp?) IS ANYONE AT CAKE PAYING ATTENTION! NC Wildman..

I am now extremely worried that the Sonar 5 will now be
delivered to everyone with a tri-lingual manual which contains the
first 240 ish pages in English, French, and German.

No one wants it. and no one uses all three parts, but Cake seem to
think it's a Europe mandatory thing - NOT SO! If it was, why not
a third Spanish, a third Italian....... there's a few more, but you
get the picture

Urock, My biggest Question is why can't International Customers buy Direct from Cakewalk?? And though shipping & "VAT" may cost a bit more, at least they would have the same Package as we enjoy! NC Wildman

I'm guessing Cakewalk is stuck with Roland for some set duration via contract that they probably couldn't change at this point

Nick,

I'm guessing its based on a distribution contract providing for exclusive distributorship in various countries. However, maybe Cakewalk could work it so the distributor gets a commission off sales Cakewalk makes directly to individuals in those countries (in payment for marketing and servicing that the distributior does in the country). In any case, I'm sure there is some business way that this can be worked out.

Best,

urock

ORIGINAL: ColinB52

I think I speak for all the previous posters, when I say........

We are not having a go at Cake, their employees or their products.

Amen, brother.

In fact the only real, serious answer (and a quick one too) I ever got was from Cake customer support.

Hi everybody,

Let me share my experience.
I used to buy directly an happilly from Cakewalk since PA-whatever-I-cannot-remember up until SONAR 2XL.
In Oct./2003 I tried to upgrade to SONAR 3PE and Cakewalk told me: "bye, bye dear customer, go to your local market". Roland Portugal sent me to a distributor and in Oct/2003 I ask them for the upgrade. In the beginning of Jan/2004 they told me:"ok! you can put your order and it will take you to the end of the month to receive it." I put the order the same day and I got it at the end of June/2004. Some weeks later SONAR 4 was born.
I used to receive newsletters from Cakewalk until January/2003... not anymore up today.
Last month of June/2005 I have ordered the upgrade to SONAR 4PE, in the store they told me 3-5 weeks to delivery, but my best guess is beginning of Oct./2005 and maybe SONAR 5 is allready born at that time.
Speaking about info from Cakewalk I am glad to have this forum and going to CakewalkNet.com so I can be up to date with news.
Take just a look at this, when I go to Roland.pt(PORTUGAL) it routes me to RolandIBERIA which means RolandSPAIN and if I do a search on "SONAR" the answer I got is:
Registers Found=0 ... and the same for "CAKEWALK". Try for yourself because it is fun.

But I love SONAR!! What can I do!

...just my 2 cents! Thank you all!!!

Hey, urock!! Nice guitar in your avatar! Is it a Taylor 414ce? Just like mine ..nice guitar, nice sound!

Regards from Portugal (a little country from Europe where we do not speak German, French, Spanish nor Italian - maybe a portuguese manual would be OK too - just kidding!)

ORIGINAL: LoopJunkie
Upgrades are for existing customers only - why bother, they already have spend their money. Better concentrate on new customers, they can buy from webshops or wherever at seriously discounted prices and still spend much more than an existing customer on the upgrade ...

I don't even think this is true. If existing customers are satisfied, they will keep upgrading and buying more products from the same company. In my case, I am satisfied with the product but not with the service. I would buy more products if the service was better, simply because in its current state it prevents me from buying more products.

In any case, there are also potential new customers in other places than the U.S. - in fact, I think the most potential market for Cakewalk is in Europe, where the "main" PC sequencer is Cubase.

WHOOO-HOOO!

Already got a reply from Edirol. I can order through them. (just did)

Maybe I should hold the whoohoo-ing until I have discs in grubby little hands, but I'm happy for the moment.

Thanks for the tip Dreamkeeper!

Love this forum.