It's official: CbB will not continue for long.

[Pathfinder]

13 hours ago, Lord Tim said:

Just doing a hypothetical:

If Sonar was released each year with a new version costing (pulling a random figure out of the air here) $200, and that $200 would get you each new version (eg: Sonar 2023, Sonar 2024, etc.) plus any updates to that version, does that sound like something that would work for you?

So in other words, you buy a version of Sonar and you get updates for the life of that version until you buy the next version, and the cycle repeats.

That's kind of what the old Gibson model was in a lot of ways:

(Explaining to anyone unfamiliar to it) It was "membership" which basically was a rent-to-own model which basically went like this - you could either buy a yearly membership which got you 12 months worth of use of the app + any updates and once that 12 months ends, the program doesn't expire on you like a regular subscription would do, but you just don't get any more updates to it, more or less like buying a yearly version outright. But this also had the addition of not having to pay that $200 lump sum if you don't want, but spreading those payments over a year instead, and so long as you kept up the payments for that year, at the end you got a program that didn't stop working like a regular subscription would do.

So buying a yearly upgrade of an app outright is really not a lot different to getting that kind of 12-months in advance membership, but just with the added advantage if someone doesn't have the money up front, they have a payment plan option to help make owning the software easier.

Now, to be clear, I have no idea if this is what the model will be going forward - again, none of us know this until there's an official announcement, me included - but if it's something like this then it's kind of got all of the benefits of an outright purchase with the flexibility of a subscription but without any of the "hello we're Adobe!" downsides.

Simple, NO, what you are describing is a SUBSCRIPTION. You can see below I went down that rabbit hole. I have since learned. I will not buy a subscription. I could have been very happy with, say Sonar X1. You want the bells and whistles they add then you buy X2, etc, etc. That's really what all the sonars were about-new features. 

So because we are musicians not ALL OF US are recording studios. I would bet most are just musicians with DAWS. Just a guess.  
Your basically saying you MUST subscribe or face the bugs that were left in the version they sold you? 
Listen, I have already stated I upgraded EVERYTIME from I thing it was CW4? I still have my CWPA9 dvd so I am not sure but I did buy every one after that.
BTW, you say subscribe whereas I say RENT. 

I will just buy the first version and after that I will use Reaper or Studio One.  Hey it's just my choice.

I get that VSTS and windows updates can mess things up but that does NOT happen all the time. I will stay on Win 10 as long as I can-even with my paid versions of 11 pro in my safe.

I am not trying to argue or start any BS, but others stated their prefs so I stated mine. I am a player, I have a small home studio in a small extra bedroom. I like to record, I don't make money off of it. well except I do crete backing tracks with CW.

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by Pathfinder

[Lord Tim]

I'm not trying to argue with you or convince you of anything, so no need to feel defensive about my question there. This was more me offering the other perspective on this for anyone looking through the thread and going "hey hold on, this is terrible" so they can make their own balanced view of it.

My point is I'm not seeing a real lot of difference personally between a yearly version you have to buy outright that gets updates for that version, and then when the next version comes out, you choose if you want to buy that if you want to upgrade and get updates for that new version, etc and it not being a subscription, versus buying 12 months at a time for the Gibson model and getting exactly the same thing, other than the wording and the option for someone to pay it off if they want rather than just paying a lump sum.

For an example, it's no different to having SONAR 8.5.3 and you've decided not to move to X1. You find a bug in 8.5.3 but you won't get any updates on that because development has finished and is only active in X1, so in effect again it's the same thing - only the current version is getting updates and if you want to benefit from ongoing development, you need to buy the upgrade to the new product.  X2 gets released and now X1 doesn't get any ongoing work, and so on. Sonar 2023 gets released and we get fixes and features for it. Sonar 2024 gets released and 2023 doesn't see any more work, etc. because the focus is on Sonar 2024. Development moves on.

Again, everyone has a personal choice to make once this comes out - each person needs to weigh this up and make a choice, I'm just explaining things so people in general reading this aren't misunderstanding how this idea worked (if this does become the model). But let's not focus on the word "subscription" and more read into what the actual details are, because this thing wasn't ever a subscription as we're used to seeing now with a lot of apps, it was "rent-to-own" rather than "pay us or next month you won't have an app anymore, lol"

[John Vere]

Why do people keep obsessing about Subscription. Cakewalk has never done that and I have all the faith in the world that this is not a plan. There's no point trying to explain the difference because that was an endless argument in 2015 and the same people just will never "get it" Who cares what they believe , that's their problem and they can move on to greener pastures ... Oh, just a minute< the grass grows greener over the septic tank,, Or didn't we just talk about that a few pages ago? 

[RexRed]

On 9/7/2023 at 5:58 PM, Milton Sica said:

Because I think it's a huge mistake in the company's strategy to go for a free-pay movement and an application that, we know, has numerous bugs. The question is quite simple and direct: who will pay for a tire that, at any moment, will present a puncture ????

The least one would expect is that the application delivers everything it promises without errors.

While it was presented as FREE, we users noticed some bugs, but I don't know of any that pay any dollar to receive errors.

I think the point is, we pay for the program so the company can afford to keep paying the programmers to fix the bugs. 

I will probably not be able to afford Cakewalk Sonar the very day it comes out unless it is a subscription too. If it is a subscription I prefer to pay for that. If it is buy outright only and upgrade later I will probably buy it within the first month (around payday).

A subscription would be very good for Cakewalk and the growth/maintenance of the program.

Cakewalk is not a flat tire, I have been making songs with Cakewalk steady for 35 years. I have hundreds of them and even my oldest projects still open in Cakewalk..

I have tried the other DAWs and I would not use them even if they were free. But I will gladly pay for Cakewalk (lifetime updater here too).

I might also add that I use Cakewalk almost every single day. I will get my money's worth out of a subscription. I sincerely hope that both models are offered a subscription and buy outright and maybe also, rent to own.  

Since when were options a bad thing?

The point is, it is not free anymore and neither should it be..

Edited September 19, 2023 by RexRed

[Kevin Walsh]

I have my old credit card statement with my lifetime membership payment pinned to a bulletin board with "Never again" wriiten on it.

[InstrEd]

32 minutes ago, Kevin Walsh said:

I have my old credit card statement with my lifetime membership payment pinned to a bulletin board with "Never again" wriiten on it.

 Never say Never 🤣

[T Boog]

A lot of u guys sound nervous. I however have a plan. I've decided to hold on to my CbB as long as possible.

 Hopefully it will stay active for at least a year. I figure by that time Bandlab will have purchased Pro Tools and will provide it to us free of charge. (Bandlab is nice like that)

So all you fools go and spend ur money. I'll be here patiently waiting for my free download of PTbB. 👍

[Lord Tim]

Hopefully we also get that long awaited Cakewalk Commodore 64 version I've been wanting since 1985 too! (PS: Don't tell Greg Hendershott about this, he doesn't release the first Cakewalk until 1987, so I figure I can get a head-start on it all)

[linkbekka]

Just hoping it`s a one-off payment...and not monthly. 

[paulo]

16 hours ago, InstrEd said:

 Never say Never 🤣

You just said it twice.

[InstrEd]

17 minutes ago, paulo said:

You just said it twice.

No I did not. I wrote it out 😏

[Bristol_Jonesey]

3 hours ago, linkbekka said:

Just hoping it`s a one-off payment...and not monthly. 

That might suit you but it won't suit a lot of people

Of course, it could easily be both, but no doubt some will still find something to whinge about

[Conteloto]

12 minutes ago, Bristol_Jonesey said:

That might suit you but it won't suit a lot of people

Of course, it could easily be both, but no doubt some will still find something to whinge about

For example that if I pay for a software I want to own that software, not be at the expense of what the creator wants

[InstrEd]

I learned my lesson  panicking last time.  This time I"m just going to wait and see.   Now that it will be a paid product, the new Cakewalk will have to show me value.  Hopefully the new features will make us all want to pony up \\

[Will.]

26 minutes ago, Bristol_Jonesey said:

Of course, it could easily be both, but no doubt some will still find something to whinge about

Your words are not even cold yet. 😭 

[Will.]

4 minutes ago, InstrEd said:

  Hopefully the new features will make us all want to pony up \\

No-no-no! Pony must stay down. 🥴

[Bristol_Jonesey]

55 minutes ago, Conteloto said:

For example that if I pay for a software I want to own that software, not be at the expense of what the creator wants

Well that's not your call to make. The bakers will decide what is right for them AND for the user base. 

[Noel Borthwick]

21 hours ago, RexRed said:

I think the point is, we pay for the program so the company can afford to keep paying the programmers to fix the bugs. 

I will probably not be able to afford Cakewalk Sonar the very day it comes out unless it is a subscription too. If it is a subscription I prefer to pay for that. If it is buy outright only and upgrade later I will probably buy it within the first month (around payday).

A subscription would be very good for Cakewalk and the growth/maintenance of the program.

Cakewalk is not a flat tire, I have been making songs with Cakewalk steady for 35 years. I have hundreds of them and even my oldest projects still open in Cakewalk..

I have tried the other DAWs and I would not use them even if they were free. But I will gladly pay for Cakewalk (lifetime updater here too).

I might also add that I use Cakewalk almost every single day. I will get my money's worth out of a subscription. I sincerely hope that both models are offered a subscription and buy outright and maybe also, rent to own.  

Since when were options a bad thing?

The point is, it is not free anymore and neither should it be..

Some anecdotal data. Back in the SONAR days in 2015-2017, you may be surprised to know that despite having the annual membership option, the monthly memberships were by far the most popular choice for our users despite being more expensive overall if you paid month to month. Even though that might not be the popular choice for many people on this forum, there are many who prefer to pay a smaller monthly fee because it lets them manage their finances better. Payment choices are good for everyone.

[Byron Dickens]

1 hour ago, Conteloto said:

For example that if I pay for a software I want to own that software, not be at the expense of what the creator wants

I got news for you, Sparky: you don't own software. Any software. At all. Ever.

You are granted a license to use it. Said license may or may not involve a financial transaction.

[Lord Tim]

Just to be pedantic, none of us own any software anyway. We're given a license to use it (EULA) but that's all. Those license terms are agreed upon when we install it.

We *are* starting to dip into a {FUD/explanation/understanding} (repeat) loop now though, and I think we're starting to get close to this thread running its course. I'm not too sure what else there is to say about this until there's any official announcement.