The end of perpetual licenses

[RobertDorn]

well, AVID perhaps could encourage customers to step on that Subscription plan and stay there without doubting about it, by updating Pro Tools super frequently with amazing feature additions, and lightning fast compatibility updates and bug fixes. But perhaps that's a reallyyyyy stupid suggestion

[abc1mce2]

Originally Posted by noiseboyuk

Okay boys and girls, this is new - Avid have updated the Carbon page. Are you ready? You will get… wait for it… a 1 year subscription AND a “perpetual parachute”.


https://www.avid.com/products/pro-tools-carbon/specs

This is some new multi-headed horror that we haven’t seen before. A kind of perpetual, but one you seemingly cannot ever update. I guess they had to come up with something, otherwise new customers would have been able to have a proper perpetual license, and that can’t be right, can it?

There’s even more convoluted options if you already have a Pro Tools license before buying Carbon here - https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/ar...faq/Carbon-FAQ /

At a stroke, it almost halves Carbon’s value. Perpetual licenses - proper ones not, you know, parachutes, go for $2.5k. Carbon itself retails at about $4k.

Avid needs to take a long hard look at itself. It’s turning in a self-satire generator.

The 1-year subscription and Perpetual Parachute License that comes with PT|Carbon is the same as the day it was released.

The Perpetual Parachute License that comes with Carbon is unique in the way that it's a 1-year subscription and Perpetual License. If you don't renew it ($249.00) after the subscription expires, it turns into a Perpetual License you can keep forever at the last PT version available when the subscription expired. No different than the PT Perpetual License we have now with Software Updates + Support Plan for 1-year, just worded differently.

What makes it unique is that at any time before or after the subscription expires, you can renew the subscription for another year to get current on PT without penalty (meaning no reinstatement fee). Your Perpetual Parachute License then reverts back to a 1-year subscription model. If you don't want to renew after that year is up, it reverts back to the Peterual License so you can keep your Carbon running and now have the latest PT update available to you when the subscription expired again. This is done so you'll never be without a PT license to operate your Carbon interface and also stay current if you desire. That's why they named it Perpetual Parachute License.

Don't know if this is your understanding of how it works, I'm just trying to explain it like Mark from Avid explained it to several of us in another thread earlier this year.

[ishur]

Originally Posted by abc1mce2

The 1-year subscription and Perpetual Parachute License that comes with PT|Carbon is the same as the day it was released.

The Perpetual Parachute License that comes with Carbon is unique in the way that it's a 1-year subscription and Perpetual License. If you don't renew it ($249.00) after the subscription expires, it turns into a Perpetual License you can keep forever at the PT version available when the subscription expired. No different than the PT Perpetual License we have now with Software Updates + Support Plan for 1-year, just worded differently.

What makes it unique is that at any time before or after the subscription expires, you can renew the subscription for another year to get current on PT without penalty (meaning no reinstatement fee). Your Perpetual Parachute License then reverts back to a 1-year subscription model. If you don't want to renew after that year is up, it reverts back to the Peterual License so you can keep your Carbon running and now have the latest PT update available to you when the subscription expired again. This is done so you'll never be without a PT license to operate your Carbon interface. That's why they named it Perpetual Parachute License.

I can't find anything indicating that the same will hold true for someone buying a new HDX system, although I can't imagine they wouldn't do the same thing.

[Southsidemusic]

Originally Posted by RobertDorn

I guess it’s not that easy, unless AVID discontinues Carbon and HD Native and HDX hardware. The software that people bought together with their carbon interface or HDX card / HD Native interface, is mandatory to run the hardware and let it function. You can not just take that software part away from the customer and all the sudden make it something rental. The perpetual part of the software somehow does have to stay intact.

Why would Avid drop Carbon? It works with standard PT so dunno why you say that? You dont need Ultimate for Carbon.

[noiseboyuk]

Originally Posted by abc1mce2

The 1-year subscription and Perpetual Parachute License that comes with PT|Carbon is the same as the day it was released.

The Perpetual Parachute License that comes with Carbon is unique in the way that it's a 1-year subscription and Perpetual License. If you don't renew it ($249.00) after the subscription expires, it turns into a Perpetual License you can keep forever at the PT version available when the subscription expired. No different than the PT Perpetual License we have now with Software Updates + Support Plan for 1-year, just worded differently.

What makes it unique is that at any time before or after the subscription expires, you can renew the subscription for another year to get current on PT without penalty (meaning no reinstatement fee). Your Perpetual Parachute License then reverts back to a 1-year subscription model. If you don't want to renew after that year is up, it reverts back to the Peterual License so you can keep your Carbon running and now have the latest PT update available to you when the subscription expired again. This is done so you'll never be without a PT license to operate your Carbon interface. That's why they named it Perpetual Parachute License.

Hold on.

1 - it’s ALWAYS been like this?!

2 - So… I’ve re-read the last paragraph 3 times. Do I have this right? If you let the subs lapse, then you stay on the last version (so far so good). Then you add a year of subs. But then you stay up to date on THAT last version?

If that’s correct then I take it all back. But the wording - and the convoluted nature of it all does tell it’s own story, it’s nigh on impossible to keep up with it.

[Southsidemusic]

Originally Posted by ishur

I can't find anything indicating that the same will hold true for someone buying a new HDX system, although I can't imagine they wouldn't do the same thing.

The Ultimate that comes with Carbon can be renewed for $399 as it cost last year and the year before or you can just let it be and you have a perp Ultimate license same as the ones we all have or had or want.

[RobertDorn]

Originally Posted by Southsidemusic

Why would Avid drop Carbon? It works with standard PT so dunno why you say that? You dont need Ultimate for Carbon.

I said that because someone was worried AVID would take away everything perpetual. But as explained in above posts, there will always be a perpetual license of Pro Tools Software bought together with AVID hardware (which should be the case, because it’s mandatory , otherwise you’ll make the hardware inoperable)

And, for the perpetual parachute , if I understand it right , you can even run that with the latest version you downloaded as long as you were on a subscription. Which actually sounds fair enough.

[Southsidemusic]

Originally Posted by RobertDorn

I said that because someone was worried AVID would take away everything perpetual. But as explained in above posts, there will always be a perpetual license of Pro Tools Software bought together with AVID hardware (which should be the case, because it’s mandatory , otherwise you’ll make the hardware inoperable)

And, for the perpetual parachute , if I understand it right , you can even run that with the latest version you downloaded as long as you were on a subscription. Which actually sounds fair enough.

Gotcha!

[noiseboyuk]

Originally Posted by Southsidemusic

The Ultimate that comes with Carbon can be renewed for $399 as it cost last year and the year before or you can just let it be and you have a perp Ultimate license same as the ones we all have or had or want.

That’s not what abc says above. Not how it is being advertised now, anyway:

Carbon comes with a 1-year subscription to Pro Tools software, which includes access to the Avid Complete Plugin Bundle, HEAT, Celemony Melodyne 5 essential, a 3.4 GB Sound-Library, and Standard support, renewable annually. If you choose not to renew your subscription, your Pro Tools license includes a “perpetual parachute” that allows you to continue using Pro Tools at the last version you downloaded (it won’t ever expire). Please note that you will need to renew your subscription if you’d like to continue receiving access to the latest Pro Tools updates and all bundled items noted above.

That makes it sound like $399 initially, then if you lapse and want to get back on it is $999. It’s opaque as to what happens then.

So - hooray - you don’t pay the $750 reinstatement fee. But - boo - you’re actually paying $250 MORE than the reinstatement fee.

Genuinely mind-boggling. Every time I look at the thing some new horror emerges.

[abc1mce2]

Originally Posted by ishur

I can't find anything indicating that the same will hold true for someone buying a new HDX system, although I can't imagine they wouldn't do the same thing.

The PT|Carbon Perpetual Parachute License is totally different than the Ultimate License you can purchase a set with an HDX card.

With the HDX / PT Ultimate License combo you get 1-year or Software Updates + Support Plan. If you don't renew your 1-year Software Updates + Support Plan within 30 days after the 1-year expiration ($399), you are stuck at that PT version unless you buy a more expensive Ultimate Reinstatement Plan to current for another year.

PT|Carbon Perpetual Parachute License as I described above is only available with the purchase of Carbon. It has no Reinstatement Plan Penalty.