In 2016, I got a deal from Cakewalk and bought a ONE TIME PAY Sonar Platinum...as in not a subscription.  I own it.  It's mine.  For life lol.  My hard drive died around then, and I since moved and have been prioritizing other various life things for a while (I am a hobbyist).  I finally decided to install it, and the system tell me my subscription EXPIRED.  I was not part of the subscription plan...I own it; that's the deal I signed up for.  I just found out that Cakewalk is now dead, so customer support does not exist any more.  So I paid and got no product to use.  Not even for 5 minutes.  Or 30 seconds.  They basically just stole my money and walked off.  I know it's not the employees fault, as Gibson killed the company, but surely I'm not the only customer in this situation.  Who do we talk to?  I can't afford to buy another DAW, since I'm back in school full time.

Hi, and welcome to this forum.
Did you ever register it?
If you go to https://www.cakewalk.com/My-Account/Products
Do you see your product there?
To install, I recommend using https://www.cakewalk.com/Command-Center
All the best.

There is still support so I would suggest you contact them. 

I did see it in my products, but it indicated it was a "membership product" and that my subscription expired and I needed to renew. Didn't have the chance to register at the time I upgraded, since my hard drive died about then.  
 
Oh, does customer support still exist?  If it does, I apologize, I would have contacted them directly instead of coming to the forums.  When I went to email support, it said "under construction", and I didn't see a phone number or other contact option.  From the news on the internet, I figured customer service had been axed for good.
 
Thanks

I would try to contact/PM Noel Bortwick
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Profile/11/
 

Thanks for the info! 

Jazzy47
I did see it in my products, but it indicated it was a "membership product" and that my subscription expired and I needed to renew. Didn't have the chance to register at the time I upgraded, since my hard drive died about then.  
 
Oh, does customer support still exist?  If it does, I apologize, I would have contacted them directly instead of coming to the forums.  When I went to email support, it said "under construction", and I didn't see a phone number or other contact option.  From the news on the internet, I figured customer service had been axed for good.
 
Thanks

No need to apologize
We're here to help each other
Hope you get it sorted.
All the best.

First, take a deep breath and relax. You said "I did see it in my products, but it indicated it was a "membership product" and that my subscription expired and I needed to renew." That means your version of SONAR and all the updates for one year following the purchase are there for you to download and install. The "membership" was for one year and included any updates during that time. You can download the software from the "My Products" page and install it using off-line activation or you can download the Command Center and install and activate your software through it. Either way, you haven't lost anything that you paid for. Its there - just download it and install it.
 
BTW, it was not a subscription like with Adobe products or Office 365. With their software when you stop paying you no longer have use of the software - ever. With Cakewalk, you had the option of paying all at once (as you did) or paying once a month for 12-months (an even monthly payment plan). But once you were "paid in full" the version of the software was yours to keep, plus any additions/updates for one year from date of purchase. So the software is really yours. That is different from the subscription model.
 
Good luck, and keep an eye on the forums. A lot is happening with the acquisition of the Cakewalk IP by BandLab. Look for new stuff in the coming weeks and months ahead.

ya it might be telling you that your membership expired but you DO still own that cakewalk version you bought. So try installing it first. Have you installed it yet ?