I too shall bow out respectfully. I completely understand your query John T, but it seems at this point no one has pondered the question let alone has an answer. It is indeed a work in progress. Given the bakers track record I am sure it will work out eventually. Hopefully you can find a way to take advantage of Cakewalks generous offer!
 
Like everyone I am very grateful for the lifetime deal, and certainly agree that the future with Cakewalk is bright.
 
A good night to all:)

It seems pretty simple to me - I mean - for a year plus, platinum has been 150 a year (I've used sonar since producer 7) - for the core - just like any other program thats evolving from version to version.   
 
Lets say in 10 years no one uses daws anymore - and cakewalk develops another tool to suit the needs of the market... and splat is no longer relevant....no one can predict that. Meanwhile we've all used splat for 10 years.  So instead of paying the yearly rate we've taken advantage of this program for the 10 years. After two years of being in the program you've already reached a positive balance (financially) as opposed to the subscription model.
 
I look at it as an incentive for cakewalk to devote some of their energy INTO creating great add ons.  In my article - for example - I mentioned that I use the rapture pro a lot - that's an add on cakewalk product.  
 
Here's what I know - Cakewalk has built itself on being a "Brave" company, and has built itself in a grass roots community manner.   This is actually the MAIN reason myself - like many of its users, have zero hesitation in becoming grateful customers.   With a program like this - there is a HUGE incentive - when choosing between DAW's, to buy in for life, and explore further and further into the world of sound design and music production.   Many music producers become very capable in 1 daw and platform, and stick with it.  For example - the guy who just did mission impossible 5 did the whole score in sonar 8.  I think its a great example of a Win Win scenario!

I understand the curiosity factor here, but this subject is being beat like a dead horse.
no disrespect to the OP or others interested in this topic, there's just like 5 threads going on...all basically the same subject. 

John T
I'll give it one last go.
 
What will Platinum offer that Professional doesn't, going forward, given that all Platinum-only features to date, are precisely the things that Cakewalk are describing as non-core?
 
Talking about the value of the lifetime membership is not an answer to this question.

I don't think *anyone* can answer that question specifically at this point. What I have surmised from the state of things and from keeping up with a fair chunk of the whirlwind here over the past few days (often with a lot of head-shaking), with an emphasis on what I've read from the bakers themselves, and from Craig, is as follows. 
 
1. They are still offering 3 tiers of the program for sale at the moment, but only Platinum has a lifetime option, and that's not even an option right now - if you renew or upgrade to Platinum right now, until the end of August, it's the lifetime deal. But the other tiers are still available, which means that there is a clear implication that there will continue to be a difference between these 3 tiers. If they change that on Sept 1, that will be a pretty major bait-and-switch, and many people will be justifiably very angry about it. They have said clearly that this is not the intention. But that's different from a concrete list of features that will differentiate the tiers. 
 
2. Going forward, after the lifetime offers expire (if in fact they do) on Sept 1, there will be no difference between the updates for monthly or yearly Platinum members and lifetime members. That much at least is a clear commitment from them, and again, to go back on that would invite major backlash. 
 
3. As you've noted, at the moment, everything on the Coming Soon list applies to all three tiers. This does seem to be a problem, as it confuses the value proposition, and this seems to be precisely what you are concerned about, which I understand. If you look at that list, it kind of screams out, why do I need the top tier again, especially if I already 'own' all the legacy bundlewear that makes it worthwhile? The fly-out EQ is great and all, but... 
 
4. There have been relatively vague statements from CW that there will absolutely continue to be differentiating features between the three tiers in the future, *in addition* to extra-cost things along the lines of the products that currently are available for add-on purchase and not bundled into Platinum... but again, none of them are on the pending list and nothing specific has been said about what they might be. Craig has pointed out that they are unlikely to give away their whole strategy including every feature and product on the development playlist, which makes sense, but isn't much help if you're trying to make a decision about it. Moreover, it seems (and Craig has posted about this too) that there is some Blue Sky level thinking and planning going on over there just now, so it may well be that the reason they're not posting anything more specific is because they simply don't know yet. Hopefully the need to rein in some of the confusion here will convince them of the need to give something more specific soon. 
 
5. So buying into Lifetime right now (which I have already done) is simply an act of faith that CW will figure all this out and continue to deliver value to each tier of their customer base, including Lifers. To me, the value they've provided over the past year and a half since the big change to rolling updates, justifies this faith - but others' mileage may value. 
 
Of course none of this helps you, if money is tight and you're on the fence and looking for a concrete reason to make a tough decision. I wish I could help with that, but at the end of the day, you pays your money and you takes your chances...

It's not a tough decision, or a decision at all. I simply don't have the money. I realise that's nobody's problem but mine, but as a customer, I'd like a more considered reply from Cakewalk than "spend the money you've not got and stop worrying about it".

John T
As is to be generally expected when making such a move, the first thing that happened is my income dropped considerably, and has slowly started to crawl back up over a couple of years of building up the business. So yes, while the lifetime thing would make a lot of sense if I had £150 lying around, I just don't. Am still very much in a bootstrapping just-about-scraping-by phase. Which is nobody else's concern, of course.
 
Surely you can see, where the confusion arises. It's been said several times by Cakewalk that Platinum going forward will be more core stuff and add ons will be generally outside of that.
 
Now, going through the rolling updates page, there are about five things that were Platinum only. Drum Replacer, Vocal Synch, Lounge Lizard, Strum, and a couple of other odds and ends.
 
These are exactly the kind of things that seem to be deemed non-core. Which is fine, except, as I keep saying, it looks like the Platinum monthly deal offers nothing that the Professional doesn't, going by what Cakewalk reps have said.
 
I'm not accusing anyone of a rip off or anything, I just think this hasn't been thought through. In my position, why would I not just switch to Professional for the cheaper price?

Thanks I understand. Just keep in mind that if you switch to professional today on a monthly plan without completing 12 months you will lose drum replace and any platinum exclusives. 
To clarify this HAS been through through. You can't expect us to know exact details of what is happening one year from now. Not even we know exactly what features will be shipped beyond a one year time frame.
At this time we have no plans of discontinuing professional or artist. So we will continue to distinguish them going forward as new features are developed. I can't give you details on that since they dont exist :)

John T
 
I don't see how that has anything to do with it.
 
I dunno, perhaps I should give up. It seems like a simple question to me, but I'm clearly failing to communicate it somehow.
 
I'll give it one last go.
 
What will Platinum offer that Professional doesn't, going forward, given that all Platinum-only features to date, are precisely the things that Cakewalk are describing as non-core?
 
Talking about the value of the lifetime membership is not an answer to this question.
 

The question is independent of lifetime updates. Do you need the CURRENT features in Platinum? If not don't buy that version. If you buy platinum lifetime today you will get all CURRENT  features  in platinum plus any future platinum specific features. If you buy professional you will NOT get the current platinum features and you will also NOT get updates for life for professional.

Apologies, wrong post.

John T
I'll give it one last go.
What will Platinum offer that Professional doesn't, going forward, given that all Platinum-only features to date, are precisely the things that Cakewalk are describing as non-core?

I think this sort of issue is why I suspect that the Lifetime deal is a first step toward a more unified model in which there won't be Artist vs Pro vs Plat any longer.
This issue is also not new at all. Even before the monthly subscription, when a new release arrived, you could wonder whether you really needed the (more expensive) upgrade to the new version. Studio to Studio was cheaper than Producer to Producer, so you did not just have to look at what Producer had more than Studio, but actually what the NEW Producer had more than the old one. With a monthly subscription scheme, I can imagine that CW is now struggling with asking more every month for Platinum vs Pro while some months both subscribers get exactly the same thing.
This issue is also why at some points I was considering downgrading. E.g. I was on X1 Producer and had several VSTs with that. As I didn't really need some of the new extras in Platinum (Melodyne, etc...) I could perfectly downgrade to Pro or even Artist and still keep on using all those VSTs that I had from Producer and which today come with Platinum. Also, a downgrade would not take away my opportunity to do a Producer->Platinum upgrade later on (I double-checked this with CW). In the end, I did buy a 1y Platinum due to a serious discount on Black Friday, but the point is that the fact that a 1y membership gives you perpetual usage right also means that CW really has to offer new things within every 12 month window to make sure that those on Platinum do get more than those on Pro or Artist. However, as opposed to the past where you knew what is in a new release, today it's a complete guess whether those extras are worth it for you or not.
 
EDIT: here's another example why the current membership model with 3 tiers is creating all sorts of issues : http://forum.cakewalk.com/219-m3430478.aspx

Rocsee70
 
EDIT: here's another example why the current membership model with 3 tiers is creating all sorts of issues : http://forum.cakewalk.com/219-m3430478.aspx

In the OP of the linked thread above, the link for the $49.99 opens to sort of a blank page for me. Seems that it should be a cakewalk store page but appears blank to me. Are you folks seeing any content there ?
 
Also, the second link for the $168.99 which goes to the audiodeluxe page shows up as $199 for me. Whats the catch here ?
 
Honestly, I really did not understand what the deal is here.