[Justin1524]

Well it's that time of year again. I have until Sept. 17 to decide if I'm going to plunk down the outrageous sum of $399 for 1 year of perpetual license renewal. Hoping some of you can help me list the pros and cons.

Pros
1.) In the unlikely event Avid actually updates the product in any meaningful way, aka new features that keep up with the competition, I'll be ready to go until Sept. 17, 2020.
2.) I won't have to pay another god-awful sum of money to re-join later if my perpetual subscription expires, in essence, preserving my costly investment.
3.) I won't fall for the ponzi scheme Avid is trying to pull right now converting my perpetual license into subscription where I essentially give up the right to cancel and continue to use my software, the software I purchased, forever.

Cons
1.) Avid hasn't introduced new VIs, new AAX plugins, new hardware, new features in a very, very long time - I would say 5+ years. DAW competition has gained so much ground. What hope do I have that my hard earned money will be used towards any product development?
2.) Avid doesn't communicate with customers the way they used to or the way other companies do now. As a paying customer, I want to hear about feature enhancements on a regular basis on YouTube etc. Heck, has there ever been any communication on the DUC like there used to be?
3.) Subscriptions suck, at least the way Avid does it. Look at Slate for example. If my subscription runs out, and I want back in, no penalty. The subscription cost at $149 a year for Slate plugins is a lot more reasonable. I still would prefer going back to the ownership model. After all, with Studio One Pro 4.5 I get bug fixes free, upgrades are reasonable and use on up to 5 computers. No subscription.

So ye brethren of the DUC, help me out here. Do I cough up the money once again and feel like a complete cuck or do I grow some ca-hones and say "No more!" What say you?