musicjohnnie
Hi to all,
Well, marketing has changed. Will be interesting to see the outcome. I have, professional, good until Oct. Not real sure what to do. Loose money and upgrade now. No real bargain for now. But what happens after June 1. I'm gonna think about this. Will this mean I am out after that. Might jump at 99.00, not sure about 199.
MJ

I asked a similar question yesterday - I'm a Professional user too. I was sent a PM by a CW employee that strongly encouraged me to wait until June 1st before I do anything because at that point I "will be very happy."
 
My original guess was shot-down so now I'm guessing we will be offered a very sweet price on the upgrade to Platinum, which for me is currently $299. Either that or there will be a ridiculously cheap Professional lifetime price. Or both?
 

berlymahn
Hey - so if I go the lifetime route, cool, core enhancements...... and the other add on (royalties stuff) will be optional cost (at some point in my life).
 
Which got me thinking....
 
If I do the annual thing, do add ons like AD stop functioning after a year? i.e. License expires and I have to renew?
 
Just trying to figure the best path....

It's the same as today. You own AD2. Enjoy. Everything you own today will remain that way. 

OK I just thought of something else... Maybe someone already brought this up but, there have been so many variations of these questions....
 
Let's say I pay for SPlat lifetime, then buy an add-on at an extra price. Is the add-on then also lifetime, or do I need to keep paying for new versions of the add-on? Or can the add-ons be subscription? Ideally I would like a subscription where I can add (and maybe remove) individual add-ons as needed.
 
[Edit] Ok I just realized berlymahn asked almost the same question.

daryl1968
I was wondering, is 'lifetime' pricing based on the age of the purchaser?
Will we need to complete a medical to receive our price?

Yes to qualify you have to prove you don't have any terminal illness :)

Paul G
Here's a question for the Bakers.
 
When does this new "Lifetime" membership start?  If it starts when you pay, won't you be giving up some possible 'extras' in the monthly patches that you have already paid for with your 2016 membership?  Or is that part of the 'price' for the Lifetime membership?
 
Thanks.

This question has been asked and answered a bunch of times. It's definitely going into the FAQ. There is no difference in what we'll be releasing to lifetime people vs membership. If we decided to put out a new instrument, like we did with Rapture Pro, it will be available separately for purchase or upgrade. This is why this is big news (in our opinion).

SilkTone
OK I just thought of something else... Maybe someone already brought this up but, there have been so many variations of these questions....
 
Let's say I pay for SPlat lifetime, then buy an add-on at an extra price. Is the add-on then also lifetime, or do I need to keep paying for new versions of the add-on? Or can the add-ons be subscription? Ideally I would like a subscription where I can add (and maybe remove) individual add-ons as needed.
 
[Edit] Ok I just realized berlymahn asked almost the same question.

You really are overthinking this too much. The deal is incredible. If we sell Rapture Pro as an add-on, it will be have a different policy. We could do patches on it. We could release a new version. Focus on SONAR. This is going to be mean good stuff for core development as well. Isn't this what most people wanted anyway??
 
 

Anderton

jpetersen
Once the funds from the initial life-model applicants dry up, where will the money come from to continue fixing the bugs?
 
Aren't we in danger of a kind of Ponzi scheme effect? More "investors" must be found to pay for those no longer contributing?

 
Only if Cakewalk's entire customer base consists solely of existing users, which is not the case. The more attractive SONAR becomes, the more new users will buy it. Artist proved that. There are also plans afoot for later this year which I think/hope will bring in yet another wave of new users. But here's the outline:
 
New SONAR users = more resources = improvements to flagship program to make existing customers happy = trickle-down technology from flagship product allows creating other new products that draw in more users = these users get hooked on Cakewalk and eventually become new SONAR users = more resources = improvements to flagship program to make existing customers happy = trickle-down technology from flagship product allows creating other new products that draw in more users = these users get hooked on Cakewalk and eventually become new SONAR users = more resources [rinse, lather, repeat].
 
 

To Craig's point, the road to success for all involved lies in getting new customers and keeping the ones we have happy. I see a few cynical people here who maybe don't trust companies and think there's always a catch. No one is forcing anyone to buy anything. But there's not something sinister behind the door. More on June 1st. 

Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]

daryl1968
I was wondering, is 'lifetime' pricing based on the age of the purchaser?
Will we need to complete a medical to receive our price?

Yes to qualify you have to prove you don't have any terminal illness :)

I get sick of transferring flights. Does that count?



Ignore me, I'll go away eventually.

Brian Walton

jpetersen
Once the funds from the initial life-model applicants dry up, where will the money come from to continue fixing the bugs?
 
Aren't we in danger of a kind of Ponzi scheme effect? More "investors" must be found to pay for those no longer contributing?

I understand the idea, but it would seem they are still selling the Membership model also which includes both the Core updates and New features.
 
The other piece that everyone seems to over looks is the idea they need to be looking at getting new customers.   I keep mentioning Fruity Loops (since the model is somewhat similar), and while I don't use the program.  From everything I've read suggests it is one of the top selling DAWs, above Cakewalk for sure.  
 
With proper marketing, I'd be shocked if they couldn't make the model work at an even lower price point.  
 
How many of your friends have bought Sonar in the past few years?  I know I've "sold" a few on it myself. 
 
Offering the Lifetime update for a limited time is what is more concerning to me.  

Instead of being concerned, you should be happy. As mentioned before, there is no difference between the updates people get in membership today vs. lifetime. You just won't have to renew or upgrade to any future versions of SONAR. And some of the points you mention about competitors is true. It can work. 

CakeAlexSHere
Hello CakeAlexS here...

I've seen some good things lately, least of all the problem reports forum appears to be finally working.
Just to say thanks to Cakewalk I've upgraded to lifetime. I just wanted to write this.

I appreciate many will not want to hear from me (water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned) so disappearing now as quick as I entered. Have fun!

Bye.

You ruined the surprise. The big news is CakeAlex is back.