The end of perpetual licenses

[thin ice]

Originally Posted by basehead617

Perpetual users are whining for no real reason..

It is more about a feeling of the net closing in on us. The direction of travel is clear.

[JoelG]

Re. Perpetual reinstatements and renewals:

I beleive this was to help those how have an investment in perpetual licenses not get too upset. If you're already on a perpetual license, it's mostly status quo. If you have been a perpetual user, and want to get back on board the updates and support plan they have given those users that ability.

I think if Avid were a new company or releasing a new product they'd prefer to just have it all be subscription.

As far as what the future holds, who knows! It might be 2 or 3 years of being able to renew your perpetual, or they may keep offering it for 10 or more..

Joel

[Daveporter33765]

It appears that Avid has begun the full-on transition to a high-cost subscription-only business model. However, they are attempting to implement this transition in small increments as it relates to perpetual license owners so as not to cause them to “jump-ship” immediately, but stick around long enough to get used to the new higher cost way of doing business. I think they are hoping that a mass exodus of users will not occur that would bring-down the plan.

The first to go will be studios like ours that do not use Pro Tools as our main DAW; but have it only to accommodate clients that bring us demos and partial works that were started in Pro Tools (which the numbers are diminishing while those projects started in Logic Pro, Cubase, Reaper, and Studio One are increasing). We export stems from Pro Tools and move them to Luna or Logic Pro (depending on content) and complete the projects there.

However, my guess is the large studios will continue using Pro Tools as their main DAW, until the number of total users fall so much that the annual cost to them has risen to levels even they can’t justify.

We have renewed our Pro Tools annual upgrade and support plan for one more year. By then, if the current trend continues that we are experiencing, the number of clients walking in with Pro Tools projects will have dropped to the point where we will no longer need to keep a copy of Pro Tools around.

How many more of you with small studios are seeing the number of clients bringing Pro Tools projects to you for completion and final mixing dropping?

[Cheesehead]

The whole thing seems badly thought out.
I'm sure there aren't enough large post production facilities that will suck up the $1000.00 a year subscription across multiple rigs and studios when they eventually get rid of our perpetual licenses, which seems to be the direction of travel?
High end music studios with their expensive PT HDX cards and interfaces get literally nothing useful to them from Flex, apart from access to their hardware.
It seems unsustainable to me.
People will transition away.

[DontLetMeDrown]

I feel the same as many of you. Ultimate perpetual owner here and I currently have the option to renew my support plan for $399, but how long with that remain available? I'm debating buying one or two renewals right now just to not have to deal with it for a few years.

I'm feeling like this company just can't be trusted. Actually I've felt that way for a few years now. Avid has done a lot over the years to show that they don't value their customers- from ignoring direct feedback on their Ideascale, to charging us more if we lapse and come back. I have never seen Avid offer a generous deal or sale. Ever. Everything they sell is priced 2x higher than you'd expect it should be, under the premise that we are buying some luxury vehicle. In 2022, it's clear that is not the case.

[innerbooty]

Originally Posted by abes

I've always bought perpetual, can't stand subscription models. I was using 12.5.2 with no issues for around 5 yrs. Bought a new mac pro and PT Ultimate perpetual last November. I'll use this until my system explodes, then I'll buy a refurbished mac and continue to use Ultimate for as long as I can (at least another 5yrs). Hopefully by then they'll bring back perpetual, if not I'm looking for a new DAW.

This is kind of my view. Owned everything from PT 5 MIX+ in 2001 thru PT10 HD Accel, used every system for years, way beyond when others had moved on. Hated the idea of subscription. But just one year ago I drank the Kool Aid, wanted to get current with plugins and delay compensation and a better mix engine. I am a small home-based studio, but I bought a used HDX card because I had always had DSP and zero latency and didn't want to give that up, even though I knew it was perhaps not a "prudent" move. Flashed an old 2009 8-Core to 5,1, got an HD I/O and I am running 2021.6 Ultimate on a subscription. My annual plan renewed just a few days before this announcement. I am super happy with this system. The Hybrid Engine was a game changer. I've been hesitant to upgrade beyond 2021.6 because of all the upgrade horror stories I read about, with UAD, HD Drivers, etc. So I am living with broken Mp3 import.

So, I guess I'm seeking advice. I could see myself being happy with this system, maybe on a more recent 12-core 5,1 at some point, for years to come. I don't need endless tweaking and upgrades as long as I can settle on a stable system. So, for someone like me, with an HDX card, who would be happy to just sit tight with a solid version of Pro Tools - what should I do? I've been thinking about taking the Perpetual plunge, while I still can, initiating it next April when my current plan is about to expire. $2,600 up front, then I can be done for 5 years? 8 years? I ran my MIX system up to 2014, way beyond the sell by date. Or suck it up and stay current at $1,000 per year, $83 per month? I've used Pro Tools too long to switch. Would welcome thoughts, what other are thinking...

[originalscottyg]

I currently manage 10 perpetual Ultimate seats (plus 2 Ultimate subscriptions). The renewals are about $4k every year. If they eventually stop allowing perpetual licenses to renew and force subscriptions, our annual cost for the 10 seats will jump to $10k. With the new features in Studio we could probably transition at least half or more of those seats (primarily editors) to Studio. But the lack of multiple video files (we could find a workaround for multiple video tracks) pretty much makes that impossible for the type of work we do.

[Justin1524]

This was a clever way for Avid to raise prices and falls right into the playbook they've been using since they started subscriptions. Some users will benefit while others pay more for less. Basically, they took features from the rich and gave to the poor while throwing in 2 new VI plugins, first new Avid plugins in 7 years WOOT!. Let's examine:

1.) Pro Tools Artist subscription - actually for $10 a month/$100 a year this ain't bad for what you get: a full working Pro Tools with limited 32 track/ 16 sim. recording and less plugins but still, enough power for probably most typical users. No GrooveCell or SynthCell for you!

2.) Pro Tools Studio subscription - now you've got pretty much everything but whaaa whaaa whaaa $30 month/$299 year ouch! 64 sim. recording tracks more than enough for most. Here they tossed in the features previously avail. in Ultimate. It's the ultimate shell game and you better believe you're gonna pay to play. Yay you get GroveCell and SynthCell you lucky ducks!

3.) Pro Tools Flex subscription $99 month/$999 a year - wake up Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, this version is for you! Launch and create over 2048 tracks! Because so many people need that many tracks right? If you own HDX, HD Native you must use Ultimate which is still called Ultimate not Flex. You'll be shelling out even more bucks for subscription so grab up a perpetual Ultimate license from a reseller while you still can. If you already have a Ultimate Perpetual license - better hold on to it! You can still (hopefully) renew it for $299 a year and save $700. But wait, you'll miss out on the Inner Circle doorprizes. Talk about a double standard! But wait, you too get GrooveCell and SynthCell - celebrate good times come on!

Can't wait to try out GrooveCell and SynthCell - sure to be revolutionary plugins! I mean isn't everyone talking about them?

Hey Avid - can you do us ALL one little teeny weeny favor and make Pro Tools M1-ready like a good chunk of your competitors have already done by now? Hmm Let's see Adobe, PreSonus Studio One, Logic, Slate, McDSP, the list goes on. And toss in a working Eleven Rack Editor for the new Macs (since you do have a launch button for it in Pro Tools). Oh and I'd still like the ability to drag and drop/import FLAC files into Pro Tools. Thanks so much!

[innerbooty]

Originally Posted by Justin1524

If you own HDX, HD Native you must use Ultimate which is still called Ultimate not Flex. You'll be shelling out even more bucks for subscription so grab up a perpetual Ultimate license from a reseller while you still can.

This gets to the core of what I've been pondering, whether - as an HDX user, but a current Subscriber only - it makes sense to take the big, up front hit now on a plunge to Perpetual while I still can. As fate would have it, my annual sub just renewed last week, so I believe I could wait till April 2023 to initiate the Perp license. Hmm...

[StudioTalk]

Originally Posted by Justin1524

This is EXACTLY why I sold my HD Native card and Digi interfaces. Goodbye forever! My new Mac M1 Ultra Studio mac and PreSonus Quantum 4848 is all I'll ever need as I ween myself off of Pro Tools to Studio One. I'll keep my perpetual licenses in good standing just long enough until Avid comes up with M1 support and then say goodbye forever! I will never, ever buy Avid subscriptions or hardware. If you want to charge subscription prices, take a lesson from Slate, you NEED to have continued added value. Two new plugins and the ability to customize keyboard shortcuts ain't gonna cut it. Take a look at the new Nuendo release features, like night and day by comparison. Being the most expensive DAW software with the least innovation is a tragedy beyond words. Thanks for listening.

I tried to explain this to their VP of product development in a zoom call last fall, where he simply would not accept that people with feelings like yours exist. He seemed to have his head buried in the sand. I simply don't get it all. Nice enough guy, but seems clueless to his actual customer base. I was really hoping that they would not go down this road, but sadly they did as I predicted. It was implied that the cost would be reduced, but that did not happen. They gave a bunch of older Ultimate tools to users who likely will have little need for most of them. Who knows......