Oh, forgive me, $49.99.  You'd think we'd get a gold-dipped ribbon mic or at least a tin plectrum for our trouble.  Or at least usable emoticons on this forum using standardized character sequences.  :( There, I did it just to be a grouchy rebel; sue me.
 
So am I reading this right...to go from X3 Producer to Platinum, I would pay an upgrade fee of $149 one-time, get 12 months of so-called "maintenance", then pay $500 per year ($600 if I can't afford it all at once) starting in month 13?

I don't think it works quite like that, but I could be wrong.I paid one time annual upgrade price of $99 to go from X3 to Pro. Less then one month later I upgraded to Plat at $29.99 per month. So that's ~$460. I could have just paid the $49.99 per month but that would have been more expensive. It may have to do with timing, I'm not sure.

Positively Charged
So am I reading this right...to go from X3 Producer to Platinum, I would pay an upgrade fee of $149 one-time, get 12 months of so-called "maintenance", then pay $500 per year ($600 if I can't afford it all at once) starting in month 13?

No. The upgrade is a one time fee of $149 or 12 consecutive monthly payments of $14.99. This also includes a 12 month membership. You can read about the membership here http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/Membership. At the end of your membership, if you wish to renew your membership the currently publish renewal price is $199 a year or $19.99 a month . The price matrix is here http://www.cakewalk.com/P...SONAR/Versions#pricing

I think the OP is confusing Avid's subscription program for Pro Tools with what Cakewalk is doing. 

Positively Charged
get 12 months of so-called "maintenance"

It's not called "maintenance," it's called fixes, features, enhancements, and content.
 
Scroll to the end of this page to see what was added to Platinum's initial release in January.
 
Here are the eZines detailing what has been added in each of the past four releases.
 
Braintree 
Cambridge
Dorchester
Everett

Okay, thank you for the clarification.  $200 every 12 months or $16.66 is double what I currently pay, which is about $149 every 18 months, or about $8.30-ish.  So the $50 price increase scheme, combined with the new "DRM enforced 12-month cycle" effectively socks me with a 100% price increase on an annual or monthly basis.
 
So it's not high-finance and it surely won't break me.  But the trend is not going in the most friendly direction for me the customer.
 
I will think this over; thanks again for your help.
 
EDIT:
Hi Craig.  Yes, I am thinking of it as a subscription, because that's what it is to me.  X dollars monthly or X * 12 dollars minus some discount if paid annually.  When it comes to personal finance, how is that not a subscription?
 
Edit 2:
Thank you also for those links.  There is a lot more included than I initially thought there would be.  Nice to know.  I will factor this in my consideration.

Well, my answer is after the annual fee is paid, by either method, you own the software just as if you bought an upgrade. You do not have to pay any more to keep that "level", just as the old way.

Actually you may choose to update every 18 months but if you look at Cakewalk's release cycle since the beginning of Sonar in 2001 there's been a new version on average very 12 months. On occasion the upgrade price was $99 like from 8 to 8.5 not considered a full update.

Since my time with Sonar the lowest update was the $99 already mentioned, then $129, $149 and from next year it will be $199.

Considering that during every release cycle you now not only get bug fixes as usual, but they are fixed more quickly, immediate release of new features when they are ready rather than waiting and a much more engaged team of developers with the user community here on the forum.

I think considering that the $199 doesn't cut in until next year, that it's a much better value by comparison than at Pro Tools. Just try and get support there like you can here. Sure things aren't perfect but there sure is an acknowledgement of that here with a sense of commitment not often seen.

charlygWell, my answer is after the annual fee is paid, by either method, you own the software just as if you bought an upgrade. You do not have to pay any more to keep that "level", just as the old way.

 
Yes, I understand that.  In fact, without that key point, I would avoid this the same as I avoid all paid Adobe software, and as I even strive to reduce my dependence on "free" Adobe software.  I won't even buy Lightroom for fear that I will become dependent on it and then it'll go subscription-only.  By making the only deal available that shuts off the customer if he/she can't pay and then not offering a non-subscription option, Adobe has damaged our relationship so badly that now I suspect them on everything.
 
Hopefully Cakewalk will understand the danger of damaging the customer relationship and therefore will never be tempted to go down that path.

mudgel
...Considering that during every release cycle you now not only get bug fixes as usual, but they are fixed more quickly, immediate release of new features when they are ready rather than waiting and a much more engaged team of developers with the user community here on the forum.

 
I understand the dev process, and I have my doubts as to the indefinite sustainability of this pace.  Remember, Native Instruments tried it years ago with "Komplete Care" and had to stop when they could no longer think of new stuff to add to Battery and (then) FM7.

I think considering that the $199 doesn't cut in until next year, that it's a much better value by comparison than at Pro Tools. Just try and get support there like you can here. Sure things aren't perfect but there sure is an acknowledgement of that here with a sense of commitment not often seen.

 


I agree.  It's probably worth the first $149 and then at the very least deserves annual assessment thereafter.