RexRed
I don't think the people who have been going to piratebay for years to get Cakewalk will contribute.
 
I think Cakewalk should be free only to registered users of any sonar product and 100 dollars to all other people. The 100 dollar fee should be charged at least for a year until all the piratebay users have "paid their" dues. Make them walk the plank. :)
 

So how would you distinguish people who have been using illegal copies of Sonar from people who have never used Sonar before? Or would you lump them all together and punish innocent potential new users of Sonar by assuming that their never having paid for Sonar before means that they must have been pirating it? 

This model for payment is a correlation to PBS or various radio stations that depend on donations to keep their stations alive.  I am listening to one of my go-to stations right now, that is Jazz24, from Seattle WA which is a part of KNKX.
 
If you like it, then drop some coin into their hat.
 
 

I'm confused here? Isn't BandLab a commercial endeavor? Most businesses succeed by offering a product (or service) for a fee where the fee is higher than the total cost of the product which results in a profit. Is the model here to hope that the users make enough donations to cover their costs? If that's true, it's a pretty shaky business model.

Waiting on my mug now.  I've been a long time supporter of Cakewalk, so excited that I can finally have a Noel inspired mug

iRelevant

Faza_TCM
I got as far as entering my CC details when I learned the only option is to "Save Card". Sorry, no go. I've seen enough data breaches over the years to refuse to hand over my card details to anyone who intends to store them. Add a one-time use option and I'll gladly drop some money towards development.
 
I'll top it up when the installer adds an option to install in the destination of my choosing (one of the reasons I threw out the CbB installation I made for trial purposes is that I don't like to pollute my limited-space C drive). And toss in some more when the BandLab assistant stops triggering every malware detection program I have running.
 
Oh, and I'll throw in an extra buck or two if the icon colour is changed from the McDonald's take-your-food-and-get-out orange to something a bit more classy. I'll admit the old SONAR icon was a bit understated, but at least it didn't look cheap.

I'm wondering if you also take the time to **** about the performance of people busking in the street, before leaving them without tip after listening to their show ?

I have at one point told a busker to learn to play first. Mind you, we were both riding a bus at the time (busking in mass-transit is a sadly common occurence round these parts, none of it having any official sanction, all against regulations, overwhelming majority of it godawful).
 
That is besides the point, however, other than to hightlight that what you might consider a service, may actually be a disservice to the putative punter.
 
While I admit my post was rather humourless, it actually provided valuable feedback to BandLab - who do have a presence on this forum. It indicated a deal-breaker issue (storing credit card details, which is - frankly - a well-known security concern), as well as a number of features I am prepared to pay for (the icon colour was a poor joke and - emphatically - not a deal-breaker, but I wasn't joking about tipping extra just for that).
 
Looking at the bigger picture, I'm sure that I'm not the only one that is currently considering their options regarding their future with Cakewalk (the software, this time). I still have - and continue to use - SPLAT (and have uninstalled CbB after having a look) and would definitely like to continue to use Cakewalk software - but not at any cost (and my spider-sense goes crazy whenever I see something being offered for free). Unless I have a measure of confidence in the future direction, I will begin to look for alternatives.
 
I am not at all enamoured with the free+tip jar model. Quite the contrary. In fact, at present it's a prime reason for me to consider switching to a different software altogether. I'm still waiting to see what's meant to come after, but if more of the same - I shall reluctantly have to go elsewhere.

Anderton
It will be interesting to see how many people who said they'd be willing to pay to keep Sonar going will do so now that there's an option to do so.
 
I'm feeling the need for a mug myself 

I did - about a week ago. I just got a "Thank You" from BandLab for my Tip. I'm looking forward to a mug and a t-shirt. 

While it’s true that you can tip BandLab the company you can also show your appreciation for users of BandLab by tipping them. So we can have a personal tip jar.

There is no requirement that you must store your credit card details. It is an option which you can choose to use. That is, if you buy something on the site using your credit card you don’t need to store the info onsite.

Faza_TCM
I got as far as entering my CC details when I learned the only option is to "Save Card". Sorry, no go. I've seen enough data breaches over the years to refuse to hand over my card details to anyone who intends to store them. Add a one-time use option and I'll gladly drop some money towards development.

 
A word of warning...Harmony Central was hacked in 2013. It didn't really matter because the only information that was stored was email addresses for registration. But I started looking into hacking and found that over 400,000 institutions were hacked that year, including government agencies, the military, pretty much all banks, etc. Your card details are already stored in your bank. This isn't to say a company like BandLab can't be hacked--after all, the Pentagon has been hacked--I'm just saying that you've already handed over your card details to an institution that stored them and has likely been hacked. It sucks.
 
Stealing your card is a problem, but if you watch your statements you can get things rectified. The real problem is when an institution like Experian is hacked, which has the personal details needed for someone to create accounts in your name that you don't even know about. Amazon (or BandLab) doesn't have my mother's maiden name and social security number...Experian does. 
 

I am not at all enamoured with the free+tip jar model. Quite the contrary. In fact, at present it's a prime reason for me to consider switching to a different software altogether. I'm still waiting to see what's meant to come after, but if more of the same - I shall reluctantly have to go elsewhere.

I don't think the tip jar is a "model," there are several ways BandLab's parent company makes money. However, when it was announced that Gibson had stopped development, the forum was filled with people who said they could gladly contribute to keep Sonar alive. I assume any money that goes into the tip jar is dedicated specifically to Cakewalk - maybe enough to hire another support person or something else that wouldn't be in the budget otherwise. But that's something only BandLab can answer for sure.

If I ever get some spending money (it's the dead season here) I'm gonna contribute to at least get me one of those coffee cups. Last check I personally was down to 21 dollars mad money. So.... yeah.
 

dlesaux
I'm confused here? Isn't BandLab a commercial endeavor? 

 
Of course BandLab is a commercial endeavor. 
 

Most businesses succeed by offering a product (or service) for a fee where the fee is higher than the total cost of the product which results in a profit. Is the model here to hope that the users make enough donations to cover their costs? If that's true, it's a pretty shaky business model.

 
Most businesses do, yes, but an increasing number of software companies are offering software for free as a way of generating a captive audience at whom other things can be marketed. The tip jar is obviously not their intended revenue stream - frankly, I find it a little bizarre. Tip jars are usually used by solo developers who produce freeware that has no revenue stream.