It doesn't read well from the beginning.  From the start the review does not pull any punches, but instead punches some holes in what CW is so determined to convince us.  Oddly, just as many of us have recognized, the obvious is, well, obvious and SOS (Robin Vincent) agrees:

Robin Vincent,SOS
"Maybe it’s the weird weather that’s driven developers into full gear, but this winter has certainly been the season for major updates. Both Propellerhead and Steinberg got in their version 8s before the end of the year, while Cakewalk chose to unleash the latest iteration of their Sonar DAW in the build up to NAMM 2015. Sonar Platinum, as it’s now called, is the first major DAW to step away from traditional ideas about purchasing and support, pre–empting Avid’s similar move with Pro Tools 12 by a couple of weeks. What’s loosely been termed the Adobe model (as Adobe were the first big company to switch to it) replaces the traditional boxed, fixed–fee purchase with a subscription of monthly payments. While you continue to subscribe, you receive support and free access to any updates that occur during your subscription.
Cakewalk have put their own spin on this, by insisting that users are buying ‘membership’ rather than a subscription, and by offering additional custom content to members each month. Sonar’s Skylight interface is largely unchanged.And after 12 payments, the software is yours to keep using; alternatively, you can continue to subscribe to keep the support, updates and content flowing. They also stress that they still offer the traditional boxed product, which includes 12 months of free updates and content. Any future updates would require the renewal of membership at some kind of upgrade price. So in many ways it’s the same deal as before, but you are buying on credit so you don’t have to fork out a large sum up–front. Whether this model works for you or not, it does seem to be the future..."

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may15/articles/sonar-0515.htm
 
Kind regards,
 
Living Room Rocker
the Rocker returns but for this mere moment

Funny, the vital info, that you keep what you have bought, doesn't come up until the 2nd pp after the quote.  Seems to me that is the most important aspect of the model and unlike adobe or protools.  In fact, the operative sentence is the 2nd to the last in the above quoted pp.  The deal is the same as it ever was, except for a rather usuries rate on carrying your note.  But you can simply buy the software and get updates as they are available, kinda like old SONAR.  In fact, exactly like the old SONAR except the updates end after a year, not when Cake brings out a new numbered version in 9 months or 15. 
 
I'm not sure why everyone gets stuck on subscription, but I guess the new generation never bought newspapers that way (and no, the newspaper boy didn't come by and retrieve your paper the next day but delivered a new one).  As paying for magazines - who pays when you get them free these days?  You have to be an old .... person .... to understand how a subscription works, I guess, and how that guaranteed you would the get next day's paper, the next month's mag etc.  And insured some kind of quality.
 
@

I don't see this part of the review as "bad"...

As you mention, it really hasn't changed much... If you buy up front, you just don't get the once/year major new release and instead get continuous smaller release over the year... If you buy on the monthly it's not much different than paying your credit card monthly with the exception that if you don't complete the 12 months of payment, your not forced into a bankruptcy while still owning this release... It is basically a no-approval-needed financing...

I'm really over all this stuff by now and I'm more interested to see fixes and improvements... Getting close to this month's release? Of course that's believing there will be a release this month...? ;-)

I think I'll see if I can read the whole review...

Thanks for the lead...

Keni

Keni
I don't see this part of the review as "bad"...

 
Agreed, he has some complaints about the CCC but nothing that hasn't been brought up in these forums. Cakewalk knows about these things and the CCC will develop over time, just like NI's Service Center did.

I'm really over all this stuff by now and I'm more interested to see fixes and improvements... Getting close to this month's release? Of course that's believing there will be a release this month...? ;-)

 
Well, they've been coming out every month so far...

I wasn't saying the review was bad, just that the important data were stated late as far as the subscription process.  Kinda like learning to ignore everything before the "but" in arguments.
 
;-)

Anderton

Keni

I'm really over all this stuff by now and I'm more interested to see fixes and improvements... Getting close to this month's release? Of course that's believing there will be a release this month...? ;-)

 
Well, they've been coming out every month so far...

I hope I just deleted the right quote markers... ;-)

Yes, they have been every month so far... But I remember a distinct non-committal regarding that in the initial discussions... Though later it appeared to be more agreeable to factually being a monthly update system...

I am hopeful... If nothing else but getting back command of the Control Bar! ;-)

Keni

I don't see anything bad in the section quoted.  When SOS criticizes a product, there is no doubt.  That's one reason SOS is my favorite trade mag—unlike another from the UK I won't name that publishes reviews that read like overly enthusiastic advertisements.
 
Right at the top of the article it says:
 
Cakewalk are the first major DAW developer to move to a monthly payment model. And Sonar ‘membership’ provides plenty of goodies...

Yeah, I'm not getting the bad vibe either.  Its truthful and spells out how the program works, even if we (and Cake) would prefer not to use the term subscription due to the negative connotations associated with the Adobe model.
 
I will be interested to read the full article if I can get a hold of a print copy.  They seem to sell out pretty quickly in my area.

That's just as I saw it during the heated discussions at the time.... it's more of a pay as you play option, without a credit check, which is a great thing if you ask me because it opens the doors for users who can't afford a yearly pop.
But the powers that be insisted on saying subscription membership... that alone locks ears from hearing the part after the "but". lol
I'll stick with adobe cs6 until I can no longer keep my stubby-fat grip on it simply because I want to own what I pay for at some point, credit or cash, and there's no end to that type of model.
 
And I agree with "AT" about subscriptions in relation to newspapers and mags in the old days, but I think it has more to do with trusting a "physical" company with a working track history, vs faceless internet companies that popup with promises and die before even the virtual ink dries.... constantly.
However that too has some premise in the age and history idea also.
 
I came back to Sonar with x1 because it showed me they were truly in the game to play, and with the roland split I got nervous again, but I feel safe now. lol
Nothing is guaranteed, whether on my porch or in my "binary interpretation machine", but having a positive record means a helluva lot, and always has.
 
CWs model is different, but they are using the same name to identify it, I think that is the biggest issue as far as that goes I think.
I am faithful to sonar, and hope to always be.
At some point my title will change from "user" to "investor" if they keep up their end, lol, just as their ranking as a professional DAW will rise to truly combat the top tier of the industry.
 
That's my two-cents... spend one, save one!
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Soundsonline has also moved to a subscription system for Gold/Silver level sample libraries. Everybody's at it.