Reflections about Subscription models

LostInFoundation · 2023-04-17T06:54:21+00:00

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I paste here some reflections I made for an answer in another post. I think it could be a good discussion (and maybe also give NI an idea of what their users think about it, if they do care to read it).

I’m open to read your ideas on the topic and to see if the majority are of my opinion or if the transition companies are making to this model is what people want, and not what they want to impose us (I’ve never seen something like this proposed by the users, but imposed by the companies)

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LostInFoundation

Subscriptions are a very good model FOR COMPANIES, not FOR USERS.

Why? It would be a long discussion… But to take it briefly:

You end up paying more in the long run
If you stop paying, you lose access (in Traktor “features” subscription only to the added functionalities, but in other cases also to the program itself and your projects)
Subscriptions don’t push companies in putting any effort at all in proposing something REALLY interesting for the next version to convince you to buy it (in any case you’ll have to pay them only to continue to use it, so why working hard on it and innovate?)
Having all programs being subscription will end up in a lot of things to pay monthly if you want to have different programs. No way to say “this month I have money to buy e.g. ProTools. In 5 months I spared enough to buy Studio One. Next year I can afford Ableton. So I can buy them all in due time and continue also using the ones bought before, even if the not updated versions”. If we have to pay monthly for: ProTools, Studio One, Ableton, Netflix, Prime Video, Spotify, Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Melodics, Loopcloud, Splice, the gas bill, electricity bill, and so on and so forth… we’ll end up soon HAVING to chose and unsubscribing from things we would like to use. Add, add, add…and people get into debts quite fast (ask Argentinians who started to pay with installments even for their socks…and they discovered later they bought too many socks… “hey…I just have to pay 10 cents now!” and find out they didn’t have enough money to pay for what they bought in the previous years…let alone eating…)

So…yes, I’m against subscriptions. I want to own what I pay for and pay for what I can afford NOW.

In this way I can also buy different things during the years (e.g. DAWs). And in this way compare them, find out which one fits better to me and eventually stick to it (and still having the chance to use the others I bought before). Something you can’t do by paying a monthly subscription for only one…ending up not knowing if “the grass is greener on the other side”.

And subscriptions are where we are now cause WE ACCEPT IT, thinking it’s ok. (Ask Waves users that didn’t accepted it, raised their voices and after only 4 days had the company step back on their decision. Seems at least somebody still knows who holds the knife by the handle… ). If users don’t buy what companies want to force them to buy, companies will change their mind.

Subscriptions are a very good model FOR COMPANIES (constant cash flow, users being forced to continue paying for not losing access, little effort requested to keep their user base …), not FOR USERS…even if they want to make us think the opposite (“hey…you can have our 150 bucks program for only 15!” And after 10 months you already paid for it and start paying more… Or “Hey, with a subscription you’ll always have the brand new shiny version of the software” and we end up paying for functionalities maybe we are not even interested to cause they are weak, since they didn’t have any stimulation to make something interesting/innovative to convince us to buy it. We will not be choosing anymore if what they propose is useful for us or what we already have is enough/what we need).

The only type of payment thought in user’s favor is Rent To Own: “You can have our 300 bucks for 15 a month. If you don’t like it, you can use it for a couple of month and then stop using it and stop paying us. BUT if you pay for 20 months and reach the program full price with your payment, it becomes yours and you can keep it”. But very few companies do it. Ask yourself why…

LostInFoundation

It would be nice. But sometimes freezing a computer is not so easy. Maybe you want to install a new plug-in or update something from a company you trust and doesn’t mess with your things…but some other companies sneak some kind of Daemon program constantly running in your computer even if you don’t want/know it 😏

Monochrome

Not a fan of subscriptions either, but... as long as subscriptions are going to be optional, with perpetual licenses still being available and usable, I don't care.

Komplete Now is an additional entry point for new users to get into this ecosystem. Traktor Pro Plus isn't mandatory - unless you want those fancy things. I don't see NI going the Waves route, as they could've done it already years ago and didn't. Not every company is that dumb.

Rather than regurgitating that subscription topic over and over again, just focus on making music with the tools you already have now.

LostInFoundation

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/65601#Comment_65601

I agree that optional (having both options) would be ok and a good solution allowing all the users to have the method they want.

I don’t agree with you saying that my will to discuss the matter is “regurgitating” and I should do what you say (focusing to make music with what I already have now).

Should I answer you that coming here to express your opinion on the same topic already discussed “over and over again” stole time to your making music?

I won’t, you are free to do what you want, without me telling you what to do.

Hope next time you’ll use the same courtesy to me

LostInFoundation

Sorry for my sarcastic post, but I didn’t expect that from you…

Monochrome

You really should stop taking things personal. Not everyone wants to attack you.

That part of the post of mine wasn't necessarily directed towards you. The only thing I would ask you kindly is to make use of the Edit button - it's there for a reason (that is: to not post multiple posts in a row, which could potentially come off as spam).

But fact is: Discussions like this about subscriptions are nothing new really. Heck, even in the old forum it was discussed to death. Most people hate subscription-based services. I just don't see the point in discussing it yet again.

LostInFoundation

Ok…I’m spamming…

Ed M

It's not bad to bring it up now and then, although after the Waves debacle most music software companies should have gotten the message.

Personally NI handles this situation rather fair, it's mainly focussed on direct sales, but there's an option for a subscription if for any reason that would suit you. They could give the Traktor extra's also the option to buy outright, and maybe they might do this in the future, or at least I hope they will.

LostInFoundation

Ok…me and Monochrome got it all clarified in PM. Let’s go on regurgitating on this old but evergreen topic 😂😂😂

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