The end of perpetual licenses

[thin ice]

Originally Posted by gnprice

I think it will take 2 or 3 years just to get native M1 support ready. Then, just before releasing it, that will be when the perpetual renewal options will magically go away. In the meantime, why not take the perpetual crowd along for the ride to help fund the development effort. "Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen" - Emperor Palpatine

Some people have multiple renewals stacked up before anticipated price rises, so it could never be done in one go.

I just hope they see sense and respect their long-term customers that feel better about using perpetual licenses.

For me this whole release feels misjudged. What we were looking for was Silicon compatibility and personally ARA, but instead there was a juggling of features and a pricing rethink during a cost of living crisis. I have loved Pro Tools since more than 20 years now, but this did somewhat tarnish my view of things.

[noiseboyuk]

Originally Posted by RobertDorn

I’m not sure if that’s true. You can’t buy the software on its own perpetual, but I don’t see pro tools getting excluded from hardware purchases, especially carbon. Would be quite weird if you buy carbon but you can’t use it until you rent the pro tools software.

That's a really good point - what is happening there? Is it now just bundled with a year's subscription or something?

[Cheesehead]

At this point if Avid released some long wished for feature it would go a long way towards renewing my faith in their business model.
Even on Ultimate Perpetual, £380.00 a year is a lot to be paying for no discernible development.
The current development in Eucon/ PT Control is much more along the lines of the way it should be going IMHO and that is supposed to be a 'free' add on for PT.


Folders in the clip bin
Multiple marker lanes
ARA support
M1 support


Not some left field thing nobody has asked for please.

[QuikDraw]

Originally Posted by jeffro

Couldn't find your account to verify it, but we have added the "Get Current" upgrade option to expired Software Updates + Support Plans. Please reply back if you don't see it in the list for your product. Thanks!

Thanks Jeffro. The option is in my account now.

[ishur]

Originally Posted by RobertDorn

I’m not sure if that’s true. You can’t buy the software on its own perpetual, but I don’t see pro tools getting excluded from hardware purchases, especially carbon. Would be quite weird if you buy carbon but you can’t use it until you rent the pro tools software.

Originally Posted by noiseboyuk

That's a really good point - what is happening there? Is it now just bundled with a year's subscription or something?

The way I read the stuff from Avid's website, unless you already have or can get a perpetual license before they go away, you will in fact need an annual subscription to the software to use Carbon going forward. And for HDX, you'd need the $1000/year Flex subscription.

I'm going to continue running my ancient PT 7.4 HD-2 system until it dies. I had planned on moving to HDX at that point, but not if, in addition to buying all the new hardware I'll need, I also will have to pay a grand a year forever in order to keep using the new hardware.

[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”.

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. To learn more, visit avid.com/carbon-faq.

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.

[RobertDorn]

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.

Yeah it’s actually like I suspected. That perpetual parachute is mandatory otherwise it would make the hardware product (carbon) purchased together with the pro tools software inoperable haha. That’s even an illegal thing to do as manufacturer.

Once you’ll let your 1 year subscription expire you have that perpetual parachute that runs on the version it was initially. But then there’s -I guess- the reinstatement option (at least at the moment) for a perpetual license to get on an active support plan for your perpetual license again.

[RobertDorn]

Originally Posted by RobertDorn

Yeah it’s actually like I suspected. That perpetual parachute is mandatory otherwise it would make the hardware product (carbon) purchased together with the pro tools software inoperable haha. That’s even an illegal thing to do as manufacturer.

Once you’ll let your 1 year subscription expire you have that perpetual parachute that runs on the version it was initially. But then there’s -I guess- the reinstatement option (at least at the moment) for a perpetual license to get on an active support plan for your perpetual license again.

Ah I guess I’m wrong here, those ‘perpetual parachute’ included software doesn’t seem to qualify for a reinstatement support plan, but can be only made eligible for updates again by subscribing.

[noiseboyuk]

Originally Posted by RobertDorn

Ah I guess I’m wrong here, those ‘perpetual parachute’ included software doesn’t seem to qualify for a reinstatement support plan, but can be only made eligible for updates again by subscribing.

Exactly. It’s a locked perceptual license, which is a less poetic but more accurate way of describing it than “perpetual parachute”.

And it raises the spectre of subscribing for a month / year at one version, then having to go back to your old old version afterwards. Horrible, and to be avoided at all costs.

I’ve felt for some time that buying Avid hardware is a Very Bad Idea, you’re at their mercy with basic compatibility forever more. This doesn’t instil any more confidence, does it?

[noiseboyuk]

…the other nasty thing about Carbon is you have to REALLY look at the small print to find any of this out. I shudder to think how many will buy it not realising they’re not getting a true perpetual license, and only discover that fact in three years time when there’s a checkbox missing in MyAvid.

It really feels underhand and grubby.