The Software Subscription Bubble May Be Set To Burst

[kitekrazy1]

https://www.production-expert.com/production-expert-1/the-software-subscription-bubble-may-be-set-to-burst

We can only hope.

[Shane_B.]

It depends. Sometimes it makes sense to pay more throughout the year so you owe less to the government in the end in taxes.

I'd have to guess that does not apply to the vast majority of audio software users so a that point it's personal choice.

I have never, and never will subscribe to anything for home use audio related.

I had to subscribe to a few things for my LLC and in the end ... it works out in my favor.

I'll switch back to tape and other hardware before I ever subscribe to a DAW and VST's, but I'm a sporadic user. I'm not in my studio every day like I used to be 

If you are a heavy home user, I can certainly see why someone would subscribe to Adobe or audio related stuff. I don't think people are wrong if they do is what I'm saying.

I think having a choice to buy or subscribe is great. I just worry about the slippery slope of sub only like Adobe.

[Notes_Norton]

I prefer to purchase something than to subscribe. I keep them at the absolute minimum.

As a musician, my income is not regular. By not having a bunch of subscriptions, during the COVID lockdown, I didn't have to break into my savings.

 

[mettelus]

Rebelle just announced yesterday that they are going to the same model that Splat had (1-year window of updates from purchase point). The downside of that model is folks can wait for a feature they actually want before buying in and catch up to everyone else in one go. The bean counters need to get a better grasp on reality sometimes. They almost gave away Rebelle 7 Pro (even to new users) for $30 (normally $149) and seem lost about "what happened??"

A couple problems with that model is developers feel compelled to release "something" each month, and keeping track of who is on what version just becomes a  circus. We all know how that turned out with Splat...

[Rain]

The subscription model saved me a ton of money. I steer clear of that type of scheme (mostly).

I must take the opportunity to raise my glass to companies like Lennar Digital, developers of Sylenth1, an extraordinary synth, who went the opposite way. Rent to own. They will allow you to buy  and use their synth on a monthly plan. If you decide to interrupt payment for a few months, it's ok. You temporarily renounce access to Sylenth. You can pick right up when you are ready and start making monthly payments, and it all goes towards your permanent license. 

[kitekrazy1]

18 hours ago, mettelus said:

Rebelle just announced yesterday that they are going to the same model that Splat had (1-year window of updates from purchase point). The downside of that model is folks can wait for a feature they actually want before buying in and catch up to everyone else in one go. The bean counters need to get a better grasp on reality sometimes. They almost gave away Rebelle 7 Pro (even to new users) for $30 (normally $149) and seem lost about "what happened??"

A couple problems with that model is developers feel compelled to release "something" each month, and keeping track of who is on what version just becomes a  circus. We all know how that turned out with Splat...

and it's often not quality with those monthly promises

Studio One and Bitwig are annual upgrades.

Acronis went sub only and now offer perpetual again,