Gibson / Cakewalk Announcement FAQ - Finally Some Answers from Customer Support!

What happens to my account?At this time, our servers and website will remain active. You will be able to utilize your software without interruption, and will have access to your account and products as normal

AT
 If you thought Cakewalk meant your lifetime, you need to think more carefully in the future with any business dealings.  I've had people lie to my face, and this ain't it.  Some bad business decisions in a declining market isn't evil, it is life 

TheSteven

What happens to my account?At this time, our servers and website will remain active. You will be able to utilize your software without interruption, and will have access to your account and products as normal

So don't panic, but don't take it for granted that it will permanently stay available.
That they aren't turning off the lights may indicate that they're trying to keep their options open or are trying to sell assets. I have no idea, I am not going to speculate further and I am leaving this thread to obsess about other things.
 
Best wishes to all!
 
Peace out
...Steven

RickJP909
See here for the very latest news: http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/Knowledge-Base/2016000087/Gibson-Cakewalk-Announcement-FAQ
 
However, I'd like to know about bug fixes because developing and bugs are different issues.  For those of us who have an active subscription, be it the lifetime updates deal or monthly, surely we're entitled to get identified bugs and problems which arise from Windows updates resolved?

Customer Support [Cakewalk]
Hey all,
 
Let me help try to dispel some of the myths that seem to be making the rounds in this thread. I'm also being a bit candid here, and it probably won't be the stock response you'd expect at this point.
 
First, while we didn't specifically mention install/reinstall in the FAQ, we've mentioned there, and also now on our home page, that our servers and website will remain active, and there will be no changes to how you can access your products. I know the feeling you get when you read "at this time" or "as of now", etc, but that's the best way we can be open and honest with you. We have no control over what happens to us next, but we were told that moving forward, servers will remain up. There's currently no indicator that this will change, what day that could change, etc, so all we can say is what we know. As strange as this may sound, it's sort of business as usual for now. Uninstall, reinstall, and authorize as little or as often as you need. If it makes you more comfortable, get the downloadable installers and put them on a hard drive, another machine, etc. If one day someone decides to shut everything down, we'll have a plan in place for you to authorize without the server.
 
The less fun thing for me to bring up is all the mentions of bug fixes. Unfortunately, this is another "at this time" situation. Gibson has in fact ceased operation and development of Cakewalk products. Bug fixes are definitely part of what the development team works on, and without a development team... well... you know the rest. The few of us here have been working on plans A, B, and C for different scenarios. If we get sold, shut down entirely, or somehow repurposed, we're doing our best to ensure we have a plan in place for our users. Don't forget, we're still SONAR users too, and we still want it to exist as much as anybody else.
 
Though I may get some flack for this, I'll even mention Lifetime Updates. In short, it looks good on paper. If Gibson didn't shut down Cakewalk, it'd still be something we could honor. Of course, the term "Lifetime" should always be met with the question of "what lifetime?". During the promotion, we said "even if we change SONAR Platinum to SONAR ___, you'll still get updates" and believe it or not, we meant it. I personally would have looked with caution, but if the plan was for updates to be enhancements and bug fixes, and then charge for new content, instruments, and major features, the business plan now seems to make more sense. It's unfortunate that it comes off as a "too good to be true" situation, but considering annual updates were $249 on our site for just about all of 2017, I still think the price for the now dreaded LTU wasn't all that bad. I know of a certain industry standard that costs more for a single year anyway, and they definitely weren't handing out new features each month.
 
Now a question for you all: would it be helpful if we continued to update the FAQ when we receive new information, or to address some of your concerns? Otherwise, what do you think the best way for us to relay information would be? I'm open to doing whatever it takes to keep you all in the loop.

RickJP909
Hi there and as the Op who started this thread and as a longtime user (since 2004) I'd like to say thank you so much for answering the questions in this thread and being so open and candid.
 
I'm sure most on here will really appreciate it.  I'd also like to say that I'm so sorry for all you guys at Cakewalk that it has come to this and I'm sorry for the product and those who developed it - what a grave loss this all is.
 
Personally, at this stage I think updating the main FAQ would be the best way to communicate any updates as new information arrives.