What's going on with this "Sonar for life" thing?  I don't get it.  Cakewalk is confusing me.  All of your posts on this forum are confusing me.  People who don't actually have answers are answering as if they know for sure, which is confusing everyone.  So, let's make this very simple: 
 
If you are CURRENTLY on the MONTHLY plan - that is, paying for Sonar Platinum MONTHLY - and, you decided to do the "lifetime upgrade" route, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE in THE FEATURES? 
 
Does ANYTHING change from the MONTHLY payment option to the LIFETIME payment option?  Please be clear, no, "I think this is what this means." 

Will the content be different in Lifetime Updates?

The content you receive in an update will be the same whether you're signed up for Lifetime Updates or an annual/monthly SONAR Rolling Updates membership.

These are all quotes from Andrew Rossa of Cakewalk.  None of this is my opinion or what I think anything means.  These are straight from the person who started the "big announcement thread".  Hopefully this clears things up.  If it doesn't, I don't know that any amount of searching will.
 

Yes, any new SONAR feature we introduce will be included in lifetime updates. We stopped doing version numbers. We like working on one version better and just incrementally improving.

 

 If you have lifetime updates, you'll get everything SONAR Platinum has today and all future rolling updates. You don't need any further membership, you'll be all set. 

 

There is no good reason to not take the lifetime updates. Much better value. I wouldn't go too much by the installer. You can see for yourself the current product roadmap on the rolling updates page. That's the direction we are rolling in right now.

 
And finally, the most relevant quote to your question from post #964 from this thread: http://forum.cakewalk.com/Big-announcements-coming-June-1st-2016-m3417223-p33.aspx#3423846

Quote within this quote:
We need some cliff notes in the opening post to avoid having to post the same stuff over and over again :(.
Cakewalk reps have explicitly said that there will be no difference in content between a lifetime membership and the regular monthly/yearly membership. There have been no promises however on to what that content would be like in the future.
and Andrew's Response:
What he said. There's not going to be two flavors of SONAR. Only difference now is that Membership only runs for 12 months. Updates will be the same. In fact, people who bought lifetime updates for Platinum just got an update yesterday. So did Membership and monthly folks. It was the same.

 

This quote:  "There is no good reason to not take the lifetime updates." 

Blades
These are all quotes from Andrew Rossa of Cakewalk.  None of this is my opinion or what I think anything means.  These are straight from the person who started the "big announcement thread".  Hopefully this clears things up.  If it doesn't, I don't know that any amount of searching will.
 

Yes, any new SONAR feature we introduce will be included in lifetime updates. We stopped doing version numbers. We like working on one version better and just incrementally improving.

 If you have lifetime updates, you'll get everything SONAR Platinum has today and all future rolling updates. You don't need any further membership, you'll be all set. 

 

There is no good reason to not take the lifetime updates. Much better value. I wouldn't go too much by the installer. You can see for yourself the current product roadmap on the rolling updates page. That's the direction we are rolling in right now.

 
And finally, the most relevant quote to your question from post #964 from this thread: http://forum.cakewalk.com/Big-announcements-coming-June-1st-2016-m3417223-p33.aspx#3423846

Quote within this quote:
We need some cliff notes in the opening post to avoid having to post the same stuff over and over again :(.
Cakewalk reps have explicitly said that there will be no difference in content between a lifetime membership and the regular monthly/yearly membership. There have been no promises however on to what that content would be like in the future.
and Andrew's Response:
What he said. There's not going to be two flavors of SONAR. Only difference now is that Membership only runs for 12 months. Updates will be the same. In fact, people who bought lifetime updates for Platinum just got an update yesterday. So did Membership and monthly folks. It was the same.

 
I was just thinking this morning to post something similar! In fact CW should do the same in a sticky (although few would read or God forbid comprehend haha!).

Grateful Lifer

All the discussion has been mostly because people have been speculating that there must be additional content coming out for separate purchase, simply because it seems Cakewalk can't suddenly stop asking for money and still keep updating forever. Cake reps have confirmed that this will be so but it is kind of a guess how many "new additions" we'll have to pay for and what will be included in the membership. However, that isn't really any different from how it was before, e.g. we got vocalsync and drum replacer but not Rapture Pro over the last year. There will be no distinction between the monthlies and the lifetime membership in this respect, as was clearly quoted above.

MelodicJimmy
Cakewalk is confusing me.  All of your posts on this forum are confusing me.  People who don't actually have answers are answering as if they know for sure, which is confusing everyone. 

This right here  ^^^^ is confusing


 
I don't blame people for being curious.
this announcement would have gone over much better with a little more detail to it.
but the thread after thread of basically the same questions, same answers.
your adding to the confusion.

Sanderxpander
All the discussion has been mostly because people have been speculating that there must be additional content coming out for separate purchase, simply because it seems Cakewalk can't suddenly stop asking for money and still keep updating forever. Cake reps have confirmed that this will be so but it is kind of a guess how many "new additions" we'll have to pay for and what will be included in the membership. However, that isn't really any different from how it was before, e.g. we got vocalsync and drum replacer but not Rapture Pro over the last year. There will be no distinction between the monthlies and the lifetime membership in this respect, as was clearly quoted above.

Great summary Sanderxpander! Cause and effect all right there:)