Mix magazine has a positive review of Sonar this month but one thing caught my attention. They state that the yearly membership rate for Sonar Platinum will be $499 yearly.  Is that correct?

No, and it's unfortunate that they report it that way. It's 499 for the first year and 199 after that. Still comparable to the prices before the membership appeared. Especially if you pay up front like you would for a "normal" software purchase.

Cakewalk may want to have Mix clarify that statement then.  That's a shame! Once it's out there, it's hard to correct..

It's just the Retail Price for Platinum for a first time buyer, after that like usual you're on upgrade prices. Exactly as it has been for years. It so $199 for upgrade. They just didn't clarify that $499 was the first year if you didn't have a previous version of Sonar. So they were kind of right but not completely.

Their exact wording is as follows:
"SONAR is now available in a membership model: $49.99 per month, or $499 annually, will buy you a slice of some SONAR Platinum."
That is indeed very misleading and makes SONAR look pretty expensive on an ongoing basis. This may turn off prospective buyers. Oh well.. 
 

they probably want to review the software rather than the pricing options, hence the brevity

Link to Mix Magazine article ( I think this is the one? )

http://www.mixonline.com/news/daw-recorders/cakewalk-sonar-platinum/423611
 
 

Yup! That's the one.. Very positive review altogether!

dlesaux
Their exact wording is as follows:
"SONAR is now available in a membership model: $49.99 per month, or $499 annually, will buy you a slice of some SONAR Platinum."
That is indeed very misleading and makes SONAR look pretty expensive on an ongoing basis. This may turn off prospective buyers. Oh well.. 
 

You are right!  It should read "SONAR is now available in a membership model:  $499 upfront or $49.99 a month for the first year and then $199 upfront or $19.99 a month for the following year."  And perhaps add, "or upgrade from X Pro at $199 upfront or $19.99 monthly..."
 
Kind regards,
 
tecknot

Most magazines today are very content light w/ strict word limits.  To explain Cakewalk's pricing structure accurately burns through a lot of space and is complex so editors try to shorten it.  And we all know that we find the real price online anyway and try to shave a few bucks off.
 
@