Why do we have to pay Avid to stop being mediocre?

[TheNoize]

Less than a year ago, I paid $250 for a crossgrade to Pro Tools 9. Despite the features still lacking, I was confident that money was well spent because Avid was changing their business model and updating their software for good, into a clean, new version, with seamless updates and support for years to come!

Boy, was I dumb!
Now there's a Pro Tools 10 and I'm stuck again with the "old" version, unless I pay $300 in addition.

I think Avid got it all wrong. Just because you suddenly decided to re-update your software after 1 year, doesn't mean you can demand another $300. Maybe to professional studios ordering hardware and software in bulk - but not to home users. Your update work isn't worth this much.

You always claimed in several interviews to follow Apple's business model, from the very beginning. Well, Apple charges $30 for an OS update with a lot more updates and development work put into it. Pro Tools 10 should have been 9.1, unless you're going to charge $30, not $300.

I'm so outraged with all this. Avid, you suck! EVERYONE WHO BOUGHT PRO TOOLS 9 DESERVES A FREE UPDATE TO 10. STOP BEING GREEDY, YOU ALREADY ARE THE INDUSTRY STANDARD AND YOU MAKE THE MOST MONEY OUT OF ALL DAW BRANDS.

[KrisHeinold]

I agree with some of your points but if you look at any company these days, they are all the same. They don't give free upgrades. Look at apple for instance, they come out with new products almost every year ( like the iPhone) and you either go out and buy the new one or stick with the old. I too, am a home/ live user of pro tools and also upgraded to 9 probably not even a year ago. For that reason, I will be sticking with 9 because it does what I need it to do (sorta). So you just have to look at if it's worth the upgrade fee for you or not.

[Dnnspv]

Originally Posted by TheNoize

Pro Tools 10 should have been 9.1, unless you're going to charge $30, not $300.

Actually, Native users budgets don't matter. It only matters if you have a HD budget... then your upgrade price concerns are valid and addressed.

So, stop whining and complaining because $300 is nothing for your Native budget, when you paid $250 12 months ago, and look forward to PT 11 64 bit 10-12 months ahead.

Better yet, just don't upgrade ever again because after all, PT 9 works, and no one is forcing you to upgrade. Why not just go back to PT LE 6 because that works too.

[TheNoize]

If everyone was "whining" and "complaining", I wouldn't be a "whiner" - it would be a general customer outrage instead, and Avid would have no choice but to stop being greedy and give everyone who purchased 9 the free update to 10.

But since everyone here enjoys pretending they have money (I know you don't, we're music industry pros, we're all broke - or will be - in one way or another) the ones who see how ridiculous Avid's business practices are stand alone, and have to stick with an outdated DAW if they want to use an industry standard to work with other musicians/studios.

Avid is making most of their money off of the ones who are blind to their outrageous practices. I feel like I'm digging Avid out of the hole they dug themselves into as a company, $300 at a time.

[Dnnspv]

In case you didn't realize, I was being sarcastic. I don't think the upgrade should be free, but $300 is a bit much for native users who upgraded to PT9. It should be at the most $150 considering PT 11 is right around the corner.

My post above summarizes all of the responses to native users upgrade pricing concerns.

[TheNoize]

Originally Posted by Dnnspv

In case you didn't realize, I was being sarcastic. I don't think the upgrade should be free, but $300 is a bit much for native users who upgraded to PT9. It should be at the most $150 considering PT 11 is right around the corner.

My post above summarizes all of the responses to native users upgrade pricing concerns.

Sadly, those are the replies I expected. They probably will be repeated by Digi support. It's ridiculous that we're all stuck with a horrible DAW with horrible business practices, just because we have a professional need to use the industry standard. That's why I had to create a thread and make a stand. And I'll continue to do so if they delete the thread as an attempt to censor (as they've done before).

10 and 11 should be all free updates to owners of 9. When customers asked for a new architecture, new features and better model, it was because we deserved it, after being loyal and paying thousands of dollars for our LE, MP and HD systems and their expensive updates. Now Avid hires a development team, starts improving Pro Tools... and they charge it as a brand new product every year?!? NO technology or audio company is this rude to their customers. Even small plugin brands provide years of free updates.

All the thousands of dollars you spent with Avid? That just qualifies you for an outdated DAW, these days...

[TheNoize]

Originally Posted by KrisHeinold

Look at apple for instance, they come out with new products almost every year ( like the iPhone) and you either go out and buy the new one or stick with the old.

That's because the iPhone hardware is always evolving in pretty spectacular ways - and you always have a cheap trade-in option. If you bring your old iPhone, they'll charge you WAY less than $300 for the newest one.

Originally Posted by KrisHeinold

I too, am a home/ live user of pro tools and also upgraded to 9 probably not even a year ago. For that reason, I will be sticking with 9 because it does what I need it to do (sorta). So you just have to look at if it's worth the upgrade fee for you or not.

Yes, but did you really pay for 9 expecting to be outdated in less than a year? You're accepting 9, and accepting that Avid made a newer, better product that they will support now, instead of 9. And what you paid for 9 is now trash. In less than a year, they're done supporting the software you paid for (or almost done). If you want more features and total new awesomeness... "pay again, b*tch!"

Of course it's NOT worth the upgrade fee - at least not for the ones who already paid for 9! All we get is 9.0.5? That's it? Am I really the only one here completely and hurtfully outraged with Avid's obvious extortion?



ProTip: when it comes to native software, it's better to charge $30 and get paid $30, than charge $300 and get paid $0 because it was available as a cracked download, due to high demand despite the outrageous price. That's the sole reason why Apple charges $30 only for OS updates now - they know they will be available for free in torrent sites anyway! Happened to Photoshop, Maya, Waves and Final Cut Pro. Why does Avid think they're different? iLoks are easy to crack nowadays - crack teams have it down to a science. Avid would make more profit if they only charged symbolic prices for their updates.

[Dnnspv]

Originally Posted by TheNoize

Sadly, those are the replies I expected. They probably will be repeated by Digi support. It's ridiculous that we're all stuck with a horrible DAW with horrible business practices, just because we have a professional need to use the industry standard. That's why I had to create a thread and make a stand. And I'll continue to do so if they delete the thread as an attempt to censor (as they've done before).

10 and 11 should be all free updates to owners of 9. When customers asked for a new architecture, new features and better model, it was because we deserved it, after being loyal and paying thousands of dollars for our LE, MP and HD systems and their expensive updates. Now Avid hires a development team, starts improving Pro Tools... and they charge it as a brand new product every year?!? NO technology or audio company is this rude to their customers. Even small plugin brands provide years of free updates.

All the thousands of dollars you spent with Avid? That just qualifies you for an outdated DAW, these days...

I just try to address the concern in a polite manner. However, there is definitely a shut up and take it vibe around here for native users.

$300 to some native users is like the $999 for some HD users upset about that. Why can't some understand this????? And just because a few native users upgraded (and act like PT Native warriors assigned to attack or persuade anyone who does not feel like them) that does not make everyone else whiners or complainers.

Many of us work in our homes and make just enough to call ourselves semi-professionals. We are working hard to grow at what we do. This is why we have PT native not PT HD. We are part of the crowd that native is marketed to. We want to upgrade like everyone else. $550 in upgrades after just a year is a lot, especially considering PT 11 64 bit, the historical release, is right around the corner. (It's safe to say PT 11 64 bit will be at least $300).

[pfo]

Originally Posted by TheNoize

All we get is 9.0.5? That's it? Am I really the only one here completely and hurtfully outraged with Avid's obvious extortion?

No, that's not it. There will be future updates to PT9.

And are you seriously asking if you're the only one outraged? Have you glanced at any other threads over the past week?

[TheNoize]

Originally Posted by pfo

No, that's not it. There will be future updates to PT9

Oh yay!!, I can't wait for Pro Tools 9.0.6, with:

- fixed bug that made fader 19 of Yamaha RZX233 cs5 console twitch when automated in OS X Lion;
- updated help file, page 231;
- all other bugs untouched, no features added;

God bless Avid and their unconditional support /s