slartabartfast
There is nothing about the way Cakewalk collects money (aside from the fact that their old model did not supply sufficient income) that would have any influence whatever on how or how often they supply bug fixes. The software to download bug fixes as soon as they are ready does not inherently depend on a customer paying a monthly fee vs version upgrade.

What you say is true, but it may not end up working that way. If people feel like they're getting good support for a product they bought at face value, I expect they will be satisfied and inclined to upgrade. But if they feel like they're paying a monthly fee to get that future support - even if the amount of cash that changes hands would ultimately be the same - they can feel a bit short-changed. Also, Cakewalk are selling this as a way of deploying new features rapidly, so there may be commercial pressure on them to put features first, to really sell the subscriptions and discourage people from letting them lapse.
 
All I can hope for is that with the move to a more incremental upgrade cycle, bug fixing and finishing half-done features will gain priority because there will no longer be a conflict between supporting past customers and enticing new ones - everybody is on the same upgrade path, except those who choose to drop off early.

oh about service and support if paid...does or will Cakewalk do remote PC viewing by pro technical MS and Sonar techs  via remote control viewing over internet connections?...if we pay for support, I want to see it setup right and working right, if it is not, and I pay for it to....then do you fix it on the system that needs be fixed on...in claims it works with MS windows...then to make it so, if it does not would be support paid to make it so via that?
 
 

slartabartfast
The driver for innovative features will be competition with other DAWS, but that will be less of a driver since you will have a bunch of locked in customers who will need to wait as long as a year to bail out. And once they bail out, they will presumably have to pay full retail (not upgrade) to get into the next version that does make sense to them.

 
Actually it's MORE of a driver because Cakewalk is not in business to have people "bail out." The object is to provide features and content that makes renewal not only compelling to existing owners, but also, to those who live with DAWs that get the big yearly paid upgrade.
 
Another competitive aspect is Cakewalk can introduce features that beat the competition as soon as they're ready. The DSD functionality is a good example. It came about pretty late in the development cycle, but it got folded in to the update. Other DAWs that don't have DSD and have to wait for their Next Big Update will be at a competitive disadvantage with respect to DSD. That's just one example. How long will it take other DAWs to copy the Mix Recall feature? That's huge, as you'll discover if you work with it, but Cakewalk has it now.
 
I can assure you that the business plan at Cakewalk is NOT "Let's collect everyone's money, sit on it for a year, then close the company down and all move to Maui after everyone bails out." 
 

Sir Les
So what is being said in full front...This software is not fully made, you see more needs to make more money...Moe cash in the cow, or cow in the cash....and you are stating it will be updated, as all things needs be, that are not fully functional or working as should be?...So you make the peoples pay forward?....why not get it completely right out of the box?...and make us pay full price...because things with computers as I know of in some forms....Things change, and so does gear....and to pay for something, get it, and then it is no longer supported by the system it is made for....is ok to pay for...but to say, this software is asking for payment for further upgrades and such, in stating it will do in time adding in new or fixes, makes my mind worry about upgrading if it is not working fully...and needs be fixing!...who pays us to R&D?...and the hair loss if it is buggy?
 
 
So please stand bye....and please take notes.....

If you bought it today you would be getting the long awaited version of what would have been X4 AND over the course of the year you would get X5 in increments instead of having to wait until the end of the year. It is your choice whether you install those increments or not and you can revert back to an earlier version from the Command Center if something is wonky or not to your liking.
 
Then at the end of the year you would own what would have been X4 and X5 Producer for the upgrade price of $149 (so two full versions for one upgrade price). From that point you could pay for another year and get what would have been X6 in increments over the course of the year or let your "membership" lapse and keep X4/5.
 
Then if you let it lapse you can pay for another 12 months whenever you want and get a cumulative update up to that point AND the next years worth of improvements.
 
The only thing that would make this suck is if Cake did not anty up and provide quality content and enhancements as seen during the traditional yearly upgrades but they have already stated that this new model has lit a fire under their butts. You gotta remember too they now have the all powerful and cash flush Gibson behind them as opposed to Roland who seem to have succumbed to vulture capialist style management which IMO as an outsider was crippling the advancement of Sonar.
 
Only time will tell though but I wouldn't freak out just yet.
 
Cheers.

because I am fed up with trouble shooting pc and software for music, to make it work, and then something happens to screw it all up....like once Sonar did do....It sucks!...and other MS updates do from time to time..just to keep us loonies of the billing table and phone calling, press 9 for x...2 for p.
 
 

karlssonhaus@googlemail.com

Andrew Rossa
And even without the intro offer, for SONAR Producer customers, it's only $19.99 month.

Forever?
i.e. if 2-4 years later I'll decide to rent Platinum version for a month (for some work) it still will cost $19.99 to me (as X3 Producer owner today)?
 

I do not believe anyone can see as far as forever and I would not believe them if they said they could. The new software is being sold for a one-time annual fee or a 12 payment plan. After the intro period the 12 month payment plan is $19.99/mo. If you elect to drop the plan before completing the 12th payment, the new software will revert to demo mode. As your last purchased version ages, I would expect the cost of purchasing a new version of SONAR would increase, just like the price matrix shows today.

Kylotan
All I can hope for is that with the move to a more incremental upgrade cycle, bug fixing and finishing half-done features will gain priority because there will no longer be a conflict between supporting past customers and enticing new ones - everybody is on the same upgrade path, except those who choose to drop off early.

Spot on, and that's another advantage of handling software in this manner. 

karlssonhaus@googlemail.com

Andrew Rossa [Cakewalk]And even without the intro offer, for SONAR Producer customers, it's only $19.99 month.

Forever? i.e. if 2-4 years later I'll decide to rent Platinum version for a month (for some work) it still will cost $19.99 to me (as X3 Producer owner today)?
 

Netflix has a great way of doing Subscriptions. You have multiple levels to pay for, but you can "pause" your account if you're getting busy with something else, and without penalty. You pay perpetually, yes, but it equals out if you keep your upgrades going. In this case, once you're subscribed, you'll not want to leave. And the low cost is not even an issue for most. $9.99/mo for online movies is so negligible, people find it more of a burden to discontinue or pause it than to just leave it going. Add DVDs and Blu-Ray to the mix and the cost goes up, but not drastically.

karlssonhaus@googlemail.com
i.e. if 2-4 years later I'll decide to rent Platinum version for a month (for some work) it still will cost $19.99 to me (as X3 Producer owner today)?

If you only need it for a month, download the demo. It's free.

Sir Les
So what is being said in full front...This software is not fully made, you see more needs to make more money...Moe cash in the cow, or cow in the cash....and you are stating it will be updated, as all things needs be, that are not fully functional or working as should be?...So you make the peoples pay forward?....why not get it completely right out of the box?...and make us pay full price...because things with computers as I know of in some forms....Things change, and so does gear....and to pay for something, get it, and then it is no longer supported by the system it is made for....is ok to pay for...but to say, this software is asking for payment for further upgrades and such, in stating it will do in time adding in new or fixes, makes my mind worry about upgrading if it is not working fully...and needs be fixing!...who pays us to R&D?...and the hair loss if it is buggy?

Every piece of music software in existence today has undergone updates to add new features over multiple revisions, and with very few exceptions, you pay for major updates. Every piece of music software in existence today has also released bug fixes. So it would be accurate to say that no piece of music software in existence today was ever released in a totally functional state, unless it works perfectly and is still on version 1.00.
 
The advantage of Cakewalk's approach is you get new features as soon as they're ready and it's easier to do QA that way. Also, this will allow something similar to the Quick Fixes that were done years ago...a great idea, but it was impractical because people were on all kinds of different versions. If you're a member, whatever software you are running is the latest and greatest version.