Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]
Do you mind sharing that crystal ball with me? I could probably put it to good use :)
In our roadmap that goes out 3 years that doesn't look at all close to what we have on it right now.

Unfortunately, three years doesn't equal a lifetime. Steven Slate also thought he could give his software away for free forever, and he did so for three years. Unfortunately, he eventually had to pay his development team, which meant he had to start charging for the software. No matter how sincere his original intentions were, robbing growth from his future turned out to not be such a sound business model.
 
So let's look at the original Sonar announcement:
 
"SONAR Platinum with Lifetime Updates
From June 1 through August 31 2016, purchasing or upgrading to SONAR Platinum will give the buyer free, lifetime updates of any future core features, enhancements, and fixes. Customers who purchase SONAR Platinum with Lifetime Updates will never again need to pay for another renewal of the Rolling Updates plan."
 
When you say, "Many of these innovations will be free to lifetime users but some will be sold as add ons," I can easily read it as conflicting with the original announcement, which states customers will get, "any" future enhancements to the software.
 
Don't get me wrong. You guys have an awesome product, and I'm a big fan. The point I'm making here is, Cakewalk already has made some people upset by simply extending a good offer. Imagine how they'll feel when they experience the need to purchase additional add ons.
 
Thus, my advice to Cakewalk is to state very clearly up front what it anticipates providing to those who pay for lifetime upgrades. Otherwise, don't be surprised if some people react negatively to changes brought forth by future planning.
 
 
 
 

Jonness
Imagine how they'll feel when they experience the need to purchase additional add ons.

 
But that's no different from now. Products like Rapture Pro, various ProChannel modules, the CA-2A plug-in, sample libraries, etc. have always been optional at extra cost. SONAR is the core program. Just because plug-ins or content can insert in SONAR doesn't necessarily make them part of the core program.
 
When someone pays $199 for lifetime Platinum updates, I can't imagine they wouldn't feel they got their $199 worth, even if it was just bug fixes (which won't be the case), over the lifetime of their using SONAR Platinum. And, suppose someone sticks with SONAR for a decade, and let's suppose that maintaining the membership for those 10 years would have cost between $1,490 if every year there was a special, and $1,990 if not.
 
That frees up a lot of cash to buy some "optional at extra cost" items that could appear in the next 10 years. The difference compared to now is that users can buy exactly what they want. Remember all the people who updated to X3 but complained about "yeah, well, I don't need Melodyne, or Addictive Drums, or loop libraries, or whatever" yet those were factored into the cost of the update. I venture to say they would have preferred to pay less, just get the core enhancements, and pass on the plug-ins they didn't need.
 
Furthermore, remember that the core technology is shared among three levels of programs, only one of which offers lifetime updates. I have no idea whether that will change in the future, but that's the way it is.
 
Basically Cakewalk is the equivalent of a restaurant that has gone from prix fixe to a la carte.
 
 

Thus, my advice to Cakewalk is to state very clearly up front what it anticipates providing to those who pay for lifetime upgrades.

 
I don't see how that can be possible. Just during the time that I've been observing Cakewalk, some features came out of nowhere, some took forever (Drum Replacer, anyone?), some required huge amounts of development while others were easier than expected.
 
All people can do is look over the past history of Cakewalk and decide whether or not this is a company that, by and large, has served the consumer well, especially since being acquired. If the answer is yes, there's no reason to assume there are any plans to change the Cakewalk modus operandi. If the answer is no, then the point becomes moot because they've probably migrated to another DAW where they think the grass is greener.
 
Based on their past performance, I trust Cakewalk to do everything possible to maintain existing customers while adding new ones. 

Jonness

Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]
Many of these innovations will be free to lifetime users but some will be sold as add ons.

IOW, five years from now, lifetime updates will amount to nothing more than bug fixes to the basic interface. The loyal customers will still need to pony up for the good stuff. Anyone who complains will be called out as a whiner, and it will be repeatedly pointed out that purchasing lifetime updates was cheaper in the long run than the yearly subscription would have been. By this time, lifetime updates will be rolled into all purchases, and the loyal customer base will pay as usual in order to stay current with all the new add-ons.
 
It reminds me of the legendary Steven Slate lifetime updates offer. A few short years later, the early adopters were paying the same price as everyone else.
 
 

SSD was also a new company, not one that has been around for a couple decades.  They also didn't have multiple viable product lines at that point which encouraged people to buy into the "system."   What Cake is doing here is clearly very different.  The people on Artist + Professional have substantial incentive to upgrade and pay the premium to do so.  New customers also will find the top tier product more tempting due to the fact it is the only one with lifetime updates.  
 
Sonar has always had a cutting edge "core" system and bundle.  Remember, their goal is to get NEW customers with this model, do you really think they are going to neglect the premium program?  Having every decent feature ala-cart would not be all that enticing for new customers.  A few things have come out as "ad-ons" during the Membership timeframe, yet the program has also grown in features as well as the core.  

Jonness
When you say, "Many of these innovations will be free to lifetime users but some will be sold as add ons," I can easily read it as conflicting with the original announcement, which states customers will get, "any" future enhancements to the software.
 
Don't get me wrong. You guys have an awesome product, and I'm a big fan. The point I'm making here is, Cakewalk already has made some people upset by simply extending a good offer. Imagine how they'll feel when they experience the need to purchase additional add ons.
 
Thus, my advice to Cakewalk is to state very clearly up front what it anticipates providing to those who pay for lifetime upgrades. Otherwise, don't be surprised if some people react negatively to changes brought forth by future planning.
 

This has been discussed to death in several threads so I'm not going to explain it again. Here is the FAQ that condenses that information and a blog post that I wrote, that explains our rationale for doing this.

Anderton
When someone pays $199 for lifetime Platinum updates, I can't imagine they wouldn't feel they got their $199 worth, even if it was just bug fixes (which won't be the case), over the lifetime of their using SONAR Platinum. And, suppose someone sticks with SONAR for a decade, and let's suppose that maintaining the membership for those 10 years would have cost between $1,490 if every year there was a special, and $1,990 if not.

The potential issue I see here is with the mindset that only the customers who purchased in the current 6 month window will get free lifetime updates. And everyone who buys after December will have to pay an additional $5,000.00 over the course of the next 25 years. IMO, this is exactly the illusion being put forth by Cakewalk marketeers.
 
I believe Cakewalk is a super cool company, and I feel fortunate to use its products. My $199.00 for lifetime upgrades was money well spent. But at the end of the day, Cakewalk is a business. If the goal is to get new customers in order to gain market share, then grandfathering the existing customer base into free lifetime upgrades and making all new customers pay a monthly subscription fee does not make sense. Sure, the promotion can draw in some new customers now at perhaps $500.00 per head, but if cakewalk loses $5000.00 per head in future revenue, it will be difficult ride from a business perspective. Thus, I foresee an alternative coming down the line where everybody is essentially rolled into the lifetime update program, and Sonar transitions into an ala carte pay-to-play solution. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with this strategy, it conflicts with the current marketing illusion.
 
 
 

In the old annual release model, most people did not upgrade every single version. While Cake has no published stats on that. I think it is pretty obvious based on both posts here and experience in the recording field. So this idea of absurd amounts of lost future revenue is a bit off the base of reality.

Brian Walton
In the old annual release model, most people did not upgrade every single version. While Cake has no published stats on that. I think it is pretty obvious based on both posts here and experience in the recording field. So this idea of absurd amounts of lost future revenue is a bit off the base of reality.

Exactly. Predicting the future based on speculation, which itself is based on inaccurate assumptions regarding the present, doesn't really yield any kind of productive dialog.

Since talk is cheap man , I'm gonna keep it real simple and shoot straight from the hip.
 
I for one would like to see Cakewalk continually evolve and grow as a company  , succeed , and stick around for a real long time ..
That's why I'm here ...what are you here for ?
 
I didn't come here to play an online musical game of " lets pretend to be a stock broker " while attempting to chart the Rise and Fall of Cakewalk ...all from the comfort of my studio chair in my dimly lit man cave ...
 
Nor did I come here of become  a 2016 version of Nostradamus  ....
 
Everybody has concerns . I get that part ..Honestly I do ....
 
I happen to think that it is kinda sad that people with a lot of talent from the Cakewalk company have to keep coming here to just clarify and set the information straight  .....
 
Hasn't  all that information been covered multiple times already from all possible angles ?
 
Would not a better use of their precious time and talent be spent improving the product ?
 
 
Kenny

kennywtelejazz
Since talk is cheap man , I'm gonna keep it real simple and shoot straight from the hip.
 
I for one would like to see Cakewalk continually evolve and grow as a company  , succeed , and stick around for a real long time ..
That's why I'm here ...what are you here for ?
 
I didn't come here to play an online musical game of " lets pretend to be a stock broker " while attempting to chart the Rise and Fall of Cakewalk ...all from the comfort of my studio chair in my dimly lit man cave ...
 
Nor did I come here of become  a 2016 version of Nostradamus  ....
 
Everybody has concerns . I get that part ..Honestly I do ....
 
I happen to think that it is kinda sad that people with a lot of talent from the Cakewalk company have to keep coming here to just clarify and set the information straight  .....
 
Hasn't  all that information been covered multiple times already from all possible angles ?
 
Would not a better use of their precious time and talent be spent improving the product ?
 
 
Kenny

Hello Kenny ,
don´t get me wrong,
I think that it´s good that Cake has extended the lifetime updates for 
sonar friends in a situation like you,
but  it was stated several times in multiple threads that the lifetime updates will disappear
in the end of august  . 
That´s why me and several other users got the updates , some of them in a situation
were they normally won´t go for any update (holiday time ,bank account ,you know ) .
This simply leaves behind a bitter taste .
So, I will take cover of the reactions,
 

If running a campaign then when expires run normal for two months and do another at christmas, this is quite common for software companies with a couple of campaigns every year. Toontrack do it both at christmas and summer, Steinberg do it in summer or fall.
 
Just extending it on the spot does come out as nothing is really thought through on beforehand.
Just shooting in the dark, kind of....not so professional....