Wow... talk about late to the party...

You might consider a less accusatory tone when asking questions.

I, myself, have always been 'fashionably' late to most party's, but I have a non accusatory question, as the new subscription took me a bit by surprise and had to do some searching to try and find out what it was about.
I did a one time upgrade price from X3 to professional. So I'm good for 12 months, I think. Afterward if I miss a couple of months of 'fixed' and upgrades, then decide to beat the keys again and want to upgrade. Do I pay just the current month or is the payment going to be a cumulative payment of the months that I missed? And if I purchase a one time subscription in June, is that good till next June, or only through February?

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?

Where are you reading that? i would assume that if you pay for a Producer to Platinum upgrade for a year now, at the end of the year you would be paying for a Platinum to Platinum pricing to continue the next year. Typically the price to upgrade includes a premium for the added features, but Cakewalk has always offered lower prices for the next version to customers who already have the same model. I expect that 500/600 is the list price for a new user not a discounted price for current users. If Cakewalk charges 600.00 for current users of Platinum to continue next year they will lose a boatload of customers. That said there is no guarantee that Cakewalk will offer any product at any particular price in the future.

Hi. I believe that you will get what is released from the moment you subscribe again, and forwards. The content released between subscriptions, will only be for members at release time.
I think this "new way" Cakewalk is taking is for the better. More and more fixes and addons have come from people here on this forum, which (in my mind) is a sign of Cakewalk listening to their users.
 

Yes, I don't have a problem with how they are doing it, I don't think. I just haven't found any concrete answers or even a very informative explanation of exactly how the pricing works other than the pricing list. I have a very old copy (CD) of producer from another machine that I scrapped years and years ago, would that copy qualify for a producer to platinum discount? (I still have serials etc). I'm not complaining just looking for answers. I see refrences being made to 'ezines' but I haven't found a way to subscribe or if I'm even allowed with only the professional product. Again, it is difficult to express a 'tone' in text, and I am indeed not complaining, just wanting to learn more, in order to move forward wisely.

RSMCGUITAR
Wow... talk about late to the party...

You might consider a less accusatory tone when asking questions.

If you're accusing me as the OP, I respectfully but firmly reject your accusation.  It's my thread, and therefore it's my party.  :)
 
I've been to this rodeo before, with software, non-software products, and services.  In my experience, every time so far, the relationship has been better for the subscription provider than they have been for the customer.  I think it's important to express my experiences and observations as strongly as possible.
 
Craig's post does show that there are a lot of fixes and updates so far, so that's good.

I dunno, when I look at the pricing, I leave with no questions. Seems to cover everything, including the answer to your question. 

Zargg71
Hi. I believe that you will get what is released from the moment you subscribe again, and forwards. The content released between subscriptions, will only be for members at release time.

Whatever the policy is, I would like to see it specifically stated in writing.

I think this "new way" Cakewalk is taking is for the better. More and more fixes and addons have come from people here on this forum, which (in my mind) is a sign of Cakewalk listening to their users.

I doubt the current pace is indefinitely sustainable.  For now, I'll try to be "cautiously optimistic".

slartabartfast

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?

Where are you reading that? ...

The question was answered, thank you.

What makes you think it is unsustainable, and what research do you have that causes you to lean in that direction?Are you assuming they just went off half cocked and said let's try this? The annual fee,whichever way collected, allows them to expand staff, train etc, without worrying about the cash flow(it is now a steady stream) needed to sustain. It is always coming in. The old method caused spits and starts for 3 months with each new release. As they perfect this method, it could turn into a juggernaut. I see way more ways for this to exceed expectations than to fall short. But like you, it is no more than an opinion and only based on my observation for whatever that is worth.,