New sub-forums for Sonar and Next

[pbognar]

https://discuss.cakewalk.com/forum/1-cakewalk-products/

[Bapu]

I got the first post in about Sonar perpetual pricing.

[Vernon Barnes]

I have signed up for the sub on a monthly basis to see how it goes. There is a lot I like about Cakewalk's way of doing things but I am almost exclusively using Studio One these days.

[PavlovsCat]

I liked Bapu's post and added my own post explaining that I wouldn't be giving Bandlab my business if they remain subscription only and would instead be moving to Studio One Pro exclusively.  In my college days, a professor had encouraged me that if I liked a brand but wasn't giving them my business, to write them a letter and tell them why. Smart brands will listen, ones that aren't smart will ignore it. I've kept that idea and even have written about it for others to consider. I think it's the best gift you can give to a brand that you're not buying from is to tell them why. From my business experience, it can be invaluable feedback and I felt that I owed something in return for Bandlab giving me / us a completely free product for several years (Cakewalk). If enough people send the same message, there's an opportunity to influence BandLab's strategy. and see them introduce perpetual licenses.  

As an example of how consumers' voices are taken more seriously by brands than in the past, 15 or so years ago, a handful of consumers saying that they were doing a boycott didn't worry most brands, unless those consumers were part of a very large, organized group.  In the past decade, even major brands tend to listen to consumers stating opinions in social media because they realize that those ideas can reflect how many consumers think and ideas can catch on and spread very rapidly. In this case, of course, there's no boycott -- unless you consider me and others not buying a subscription a boycott of subscriptions. I'd say it's simply a group of consumers who wants to give the brand our business telling them what they must do to gain our business. Bandlab can choose to listen, and earn our business and loyalty, or ignore our voice and lose our business and loyalty. 

If you're also interested in seeing Bandlab offer a perpetual license for Sonar (and Next), I recommend posting at the link in the original post and letting BandLab's management know. It just might make a difference. It did with Waves and some other brands in this space that recently went subscription only and then quickly reversed course after consumers let them know they were going to leave without a perpetual license option.  To date, BandLab has been great to customers -- they haven't even charged us for Cakewalk. So I'm hopeful. I'm not ready to switch over to Studio One Pro for at least another month or so, to see what BandLab will do. I'd be happy to give them my business if they offer a perpetual license. If not, I told them why I left instead of just disappearing.