Is the annual upgrade plan a perpetual license?

[jsbach]

I'm confused as to the difference between an "annual upgrade plan" and an "annual subscription."

I was hoping someone could confirm: If I upgrade to Pro Tools 11 via the $199 upgrade plan, is this an extension of my perpetual license?
So, when Pro Tools 12 comes out, I will have a perpetual license for PT12 that is current through my annual upgrade plan expiration date?
This is the same license as someone who starts from scratch with the $899 perpetual license? If so, I think I'm finally starting to understand how the pricing of the new plans work.

The options I see on the Avid website are:

Pro Tools | Software monthly subscription (one-month license subscription with updates and support) starts at $29.99/month

Pro Tools | Software annual upgrade plan (12-months of updates and support) starts at $199

Pro Tools | Software annual subscription (12-month license subscription with updates and support) starts at $299

Perpetual licenses for Pro Tools | Software (includes 12-months of updates and support) start at $899

[Bob Olhsson]

Yes, it's supposed to be an extension of your perpetual license.

[jsbach]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

Yes, it's supposed to be an extension of your perpetual license.

Great. Thanks!

I think it would be much clearer if they added "perpetual license" to the description instead of just:

Pro Tools | Software annual upgrade plan (12-months of updates and support) starts at $199

[Bob Olhsson]

I know. I'd be lost too if I hadn't read their every press release and blog about this for the past year or two.

[nst7]

It is a perpetual license. If you don't renew, you keep whatever features were added while you were current.

The part that people are upset about, is if you don't renew the support plan, and want to get back in later on, you have to rebuy Protools at full price, or buy a new hardware bundle that includes it.

[Bill Denton]

Technically, it's a little more complicated than that, and the differences are important...

If you already owned PT 11, you had a license for Pro Tools 11, along with a separate license allowing you to run PT 10 (although this is of little import). The key factor, is that the license is for a specific Pro Tools version.

When you buy the service plan, your then-current perpetual license is replaced by a one-year license allowing you to run any current version of Pro Tools released while your service plan is in effect. I haven't seen any previous versions having been addressed, so, while your license might be good for PT 12.5, the question of PT 12.0 hasn't been addressed.

Should your service plan expire, you will have a perpetual license to run the latest version of Pro Tools released while your service plan was in effect.

To simplify...

Before service plan, your license is limited to a specific version.

During service plan, your license allows you to run latest of any version released while service plan is in effect.

After service plan, your license is limited to a specific version.

Again, it's a subtlety that shouldn't effect very many, if any, people at all, but you need to be aware of it, and that the terms while the service plan are in effect are subject to change as Avid irons all of the legal stuff out...

[Park Seward]

Originally Posted by nst7

The part that people are upset about, is if you don't renew the support plan, and want to get back in later on, you have to rebuy Protools at full price, or buy a new hardware bundle that includes it.

How about this question.

Say I own PT11.x and decide to let my support lapse at the end of this year. After few months, I decide to buy a one month support and upgrade plan. When that one month subscription plan expires, Pro Tools stops working.

So with this example, your perpetual license expires and your system stops working. Is this correct???

[lexaudio]

Originally Posted by nst7

It is a perpetual license. If you don't renew, you keep whatever features were added while you were current.

The part that people are upset about, is if you don't renew the support plan, and want to get back in later on, you have to rebuy Protools at full price, or buy a new hardware bundle that includes it.

And that is what AVID is unclear on. You spend 20k on a system. You lapse. You can't buy PTHD buy itself.
Ergo, you have to spend 20k again.

Basically, if you buy AVID hardware, you are locked into a yearly price or the hardware is worthless.

So bottom line, don't buy AVID hardware anymore. I was going to buy a Native 16x16 this Feb. Not anymore. My friend who works for me was going to buy one as well. He isn't either.
We have to keep one license going, but my other 2 aren't.

And we aren't the only ones who are done with AVID. Picture side is too.

But whatever. I won't buy another AVID piece of hardware again. They will be bankrupt in 2-3 years, so you might as well start looking for alternatives.
This new "revenue stream" is the only thing that will make them solvent.

I'll pay for feature upgrades, but having to pay for bad programming? Really? It just shows how bad off AVID is.
Under this, PT 11 was released June 29th 2013? didn;t work.

There were 9 more updates to that. As an HD user, at 599 a year, you are paying 120 bucks for every update to fix poor programming.
You aren't paying for features. You are paying for the software to work.

The post community, PT11 they aren't even in. 11.3 is a test at this point. Video is crap. AAX is just barely there.
Granted the post community is small in comparison to music. 10 to 1.

So if 8 left pro tools, for something else you have 1 in 2 that is music and post.

If AVID thinks they can compete on the music side, where no money is made, then 80 percent of their user base is gone.

Reminds me of when Nuendo was starting to take shape and Digi was getting scared. Nuendo has come a long way since then.
MADI card into console. Done.
No extortion payments and "bricking" of hardware.

The next step after this, in order to hold onto the market share, which I'm sure PT12 will reveal is not backward compatible to 10 or 11.
AVID is clearly trying to force people on this, and creating a no win situation for the end user.

I don't see AVID lasting. They were unlisted from NASDAQ (remained unlisted for years) and only re-listed a month an a half ago.

So this whole thing isn't about making a great product. It is not about the user or the customer service (which is a joke).
It is only about profit.

Imagine if your smartphone charged you every time you updated. Yet it didn't work. Your Operating system stops working, yet you own the MAC.

The AVID policy is bad for everyone. Waves tried this years ago with WUP. If you didn't renew, you never could and lost most of their user base. Now you can WUP and no issue anytime.
Waves almost went down because of their WUP policy.

Once they users are going, there is no getting them back.

AVID is seriously digging a hole they will not be able to dig themselves out of.

[YYR123]

And are those licenses transferable

[JFreak]

Except that you cannot buy Waves AAX-DSP whether it cost million or billion, there's the difference. Avid has a price tag, Waves doesn't have a product for HDX.