paulo

pbognar
I'm just thinking out loud.

Wouldn't it make business sense for BandLab to simply rebrand SPLAT as it currently exists, and offer it as a free upgrade to any existing Sonar user? It would be an inexpensive win / win to get the most customers onboard in the shortest time. What happens after that is up to them.

I think if they did that they would probably lose as many as they would gain and the ones that they would lose would be the ones that they really ought to be doing their best to hang on to - ie those that regularly pay. Imagine the fume here as customers who haven't put their hands in their pockets since Sonar 5 Studio was thing are given for nothing what many others have regularly paid for (never mind the lifetime updates that they never got). Not only that, but all the "customers" that they just gained are by definition those that don't buy the updates anyway. Who needs them?
 
HS has been available for free for some time now, so legacy product owners already have that route back in to the "latest" versions and they could be allowed upgrade pricing from there which would seem more fair.
 
Personally, other than putting some new stickers on it, I would be very surprised if the first Bandlab offering is significantly different from what we are all used to anyway. Maybe some of what would have been the last of last years monthly updates thrown in if you're lucky, but I can't see it being any more than that. Not sure that I want it to be either tbh.
 
 

post edited by Gene Angel - 2018/03/02 21:22:20

As Meng said they were looking into the "legalities" of using the Sonar brand name. 
Trademark laws are probably complicated. If they had bought the company it would have been straight forward. 
 
Personally I have no problem if they gave it over free to people who have Sonar HS 3 as their latest DAW. 
The more people using the software the better for everyone. 
The only reason Sonar will live on is because it has a huge user base. This is the big appeal to Bandcamp...  and possibly half of those people are using older versions. And a big portion of those might even be pirated copies. So what, not their problem. Water under the bridge. 
 
Upgrading has always been split into 2 camps.
People who want the upgrades IMMEDIATELY and can't seem to get enough of them. 
And people who  casually upgrade when they have the spare cash and feel their copy has become a bit outdated. 
 
It is your choice to be willing to spend your money on updating software. If you choose to continually purchase the latest versions you will have spent more than double what the casual updater will have to get to the same place right now. The price you pay for being cutting edge. Nothing wrong with that, but one should not feel they have elevated status as a customer. 
Basically the updates are important to some and not important to others. Both camps are still just as loyal to the software. 
 

paulo

pbognar
I'm just thinking out loud.

Wouldn't it make business sense for BandLab to simply rebrand SPLAT as it currently exists, and offer it as a free upgrade to any existing Sonar user? It would be an inexpensive win / win to get the most customers onboard in the shortest time. What happens after that is up to them.

I think if they did that they would probably lose as many as they would gain and the ones that they would lose would be the ones that they really ought to be doing their best to hang on to - ie those that regularly pay. Imagine the fume here as customers who haven't put their hands in their pockets since Sonar 5 Studio was thing are given for nothing what many others have regularly paid for (never mind the lifetime updates that they never got). Not only that, but all the "customers" that they just gained are by definition those that don't buy the updates anyway. Who needs them?
 
HS has been available for free for some time now, so legacy product owners already have that route back in to the "latest" versions and they could be allowed upgrade pricing from there which would seem more fair.
 
Personally, other than putting some new stickers on it, I would be very surprised if the first Bandlab offering is significantly different from what we are all used to anyway. Maybe some of what would have been the last of last years monthly updates thrown in if you're lucky, but I can't see it being any more than that. Not sure that I want it to be either tbh.

I agree with you. I'm one of those who never went beyond 8.5. I don't think I should get for free what you have paid for with several updates, not to mention the lifetime update debacle. If there were a vote, I would vote for me to pay to get the latest, flagship product. Others no doubt will disagree and hope for the handout. But who knows what they will do. it's up to them.