Geo524
For the first time in many years I am not going to be an early adopter. I love Sonar and this past year has been great but I'm going to wait it out this time around.

 
If you don't mind, I wonder why...when the membership concept first appeared, many people were highly skeptical that Cakewalk could deliver the goods. I think most people would agree they have, and I think Cakewalk believed once they proved they could deliver, people would renew because now there was a tangible track record. Perhaps that assumption was naïve?

A simple example would be say someone who waited till Dec 2015 to upgrade. How much did they miss? Not a great deal, and the core program is identical to those who originally upgraded in January. "On paper" the renewal costs more than the upgrade which is the exact opposite of just about any other "membership" on the planet. Members get discounts, non-members do not. As of now, "on paper" an upgrade is 25% less than a renewal.
 
The other scenario never made clear is that the core platform is identical between versions with features disabled, so if a user had Platinum and goes to Professional it seems they will "lose" Platinum features (which they paid 12 months for, so "own" per the marketing). This one also needs clarification, since Platinum features "going away" that were paid for creates issues on several fronts. How is that one going to work? CCC will have Platinum "M" (when switch to Professional) or Professional "Q" (in 2016)? Are they exclusive or can be installed side-by-side?

"Loyal" users should get a coffee mug with the PA/Sonar logo of each version they've purchased.  Not one mug with all logos, but a mug for each version.  Not those cheap-azz mugs either.  Heavy, 20-24oz, wide base.
 

slartabartfast
On the other hand, the fact that the unit cost of production and distribution of each copy of Sonar is negligible allows Cakewalk considerable pricing flexibility. Once the number of copies needed to offset the cost of development has been reached, every unit sold is profit aside from a nominal ongoing advertising cost.

Actually I don't think that's true. Non-Cakewalk elements often involve an ongoing per-copy licensing fee or royalty. I'm not sure if this is the case with Melodyne, Addictive Drums, BiFilter 2, TH2, the content in Rapture Session, etc. but due to consulting work over the years I know this happens with other products and other companies.

$149 is fair, but my money always is happiest in my pocket 

Anderton

slartabartfast
On the other hand, the fact that the unit cost of production and distribution of each copy of Sonar is negligible allows Cakewalk considerable pricing flexibility. Once the number of copies needed to offset the cost of development has been reached, every unit sold is profit aside from a nominal ongoing advertising cost.

Actually I don't think that's true. Non-Cakewalk elements often involve an ongoing per-copy licensing fee or royalty. I'm not sure if this is the case with Melodyne, Addictive Drums, BiFilter 2, TH2, the content in Rapture Session, etc. but due to consulting work over the years I know this happens with other products and other companies.

 
A good point, and I also neglected the ongoing cost of support, but these are factors that simply set a floor for how low the unit price can be set without taking an actual loss. No one is suggesting that Cakewalk can give the product away, but they do have a wide range within which to set a price or grant a discount. And both support and the licensing of third party products are expenses that can be juggled as well. Much of the third party content is limited in capability in ways that strongly resemble the free or very low cost lite or demo versions that those vendors offer directly in order to entice new customers to buy the full version. One would expect the mass licensing cost of such offerings to be very low compared to the retail price of the full version. The point I was making is that this cost structure allows Cakewalk to offer the kind of discounts we have come to expect and still remain profitable.
 
The more important point I was making here is that the new membership distribution model gives Cakewalk new pricing options at less cost than the previous periodic upgrade system did. In structure it looks more like the system used to market cable or cell phone access. Under the old system a product was being sold with a potentially infinite lifetime. Each new version had to attract an old customer by offering a new package of features (performance and bug fixes included) and existing customers who were on the fence could be enticed to buy with a loyalty discount, at a time when a new infusion of revenue was needed to pay for the development costs incurred in developing the new version. The good will generated by the loyalty discount (and the overall income) would be damaged by offering the same price simultaneously to a new customer. If Cakewalk decides to test the loyalty of its user base, many of whom apparently view Cakewalk as a friend as much as a supplier, then the opportunity is now there for an "introductory offer" typical for the cable companies where the discount is only offered to new users. Setup and installation fees are not an issue with Sonar, so waiving them is not available, but options to offer an extended membership (15 months for the price of 12) as well as lower prices could be made to new customers to expand the market. Most current users would probably pay the reasonable renewal fee, albeit with some grumbling, and if the dropout rate hurts the bottom line, discounts for lapsed members could be offered at a later date. As you note here, the clear lines of previous ownership have been blurred, and the romantic concepts of fairness and punishment become less relevant to a purchase decision. It is easy enough to determine if a customer should pay a renewal of current membership price or receive an introductory offer. The only ambiguity lies in deciding if someone whose subscription lapsed a year ago or two years is to be considered a new member for pricing. 
 
Of course the perpetual license a customer earns after a year of periodic or prepaid membership weakens the cable subscription analogy, but the only real difference for this argument is that it permits the Sonar user to opt out of a renewal without losing service.  Instead of sitting in the dark or being forced to switch to a competitor, he can continue to use an old version and wait for the "welcome back" offer that may never come. At any rate, since this thread has been banished to the Cakewalk Store, I expect these musings will have little effect on anyone trying to predict his best time to renew.
 

eric_peterson

Where? I only see prices for new customers, even when I log in ...

You have to click "Buy Now".  The next window will show your price.

I expire in about 14 days. Come on bakers, get in gear and tell me about the renewal path. People are sitting here with money in hand, it would be wise to tell them how to give it to you.

I went to the site(logged in) clicked on Sonar PLatinum Buy Now and it gave me an invoice of $14.99/month. There was a link to membership details and when I clicked on it, a box came up and said I would auto-renew at $19.99/month..
 
Aye, there's the rub.

slartabartfast
If that stays, then it fits with my comments on an "introductory offer" being proffered instead of a "loyalty discount." There are good reasons why this should serve Cakewalk well, and a current member, who has put in dozens to hundreds of hours learning to use Sonar has more to lose by abandoning it than a new member--hence old users will pay more for the same product than a prospective new buyer. This is one advantage Cakewalk achieves by moving to the membership model.
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3345347

I bet the user base is smart enough to hold out on an upgrade at those rates then, with no promises of what the next year will include.  I bet a lot of people would consider $240 a year to be a little steep for a membership of unknowns.  And I bet most people don't want to spend $20 a month only to loose functionality if they don't end up spending a straight years worth.  

charlyg
I paid 30 bucks a month this year, so 20 is lower. I can't really complain, just seems odd.

This year you were actually buying the full program at that rate though, correct?  
 
I'm assuming you were not someone that had X3 a year ago and upgraded at the rate of $30 a month.  Thus you were buying the core product, not just an upgrade to keep you going.  

charlyg
I went from X3 to Pro for $99 bucks and realized I needed Platinum. So I upgraded to Plat at $29.99/month, understanding that the monthly payment works best for me. And since that is the value I put on it last year(yeah I know about the $99), but that was over quick...
 
So, I feel I got more than my money's worth at $30, so 20 bucks is a bargain....to me
 
but not "the best I ever had". top ten maybe

$459 for an upgrade from X3...that's about a $40 discount than just buying Platinum out right at any point without any ownership of any other product.
 
Remember that $20 a month is only going towards upgrades since you already own the full flagship product.  

We'll have renewal pricing up soon. We are just making some tweaks to the back end. We started selling on January 13, 2015 so it will be up within the one year. And the price will reward the loyal customers. Give us a few more days. We've always been fair with customers.
 
 

Sticky on the top of the forum is now available to explain the pricing.