The end of perpetual licenses

[deanrichard]

I hate subscription plans. Companies go out of business and a subscription plan can end abruptly, for example. Also, I want to be able to bring up old projects, and if the license has lapsed the old session is no longer intact. I can see where it could be useful for corporate users, especially for fixed-length projects, but for me it is completely unacceptable. I'm surprised that a perpetual license will no longer by an option.

Originally Posted by thin ice

I'm with you on that. It is not a hit on Avid; I just feel on edge about the idea of any subscriptions and avoid those companies.

This is why I only use Trigger from Slate that I bought early on.

[Obsidian Dragon]

Originally Posted by deanrichard

I hate subscription plans. Companies go out of business and a subscription plan can end abruptly, for example. Also, I want to be able to bring up old projects, and if the license has lapsed the old session is no longer intact. I can see where it could be useful for corporate users, especially for fixed-length projects, but for me it is completely unacceptable.

You bring up a very good point. I once had a DJ controller that used Torq software (which I liked). I think the controller was from M-Audio (My memory could be wrong). Anyways, long story short, the company was bought out (was it by Digidesign/Avid?) and the new company soon discontinued the Torq software. Not only did it render my software unable to launch (it did some type of call home authentication), it rendered the controller useless as it was proprietary and doesn't work with any other software. Total wasted dollars down the drain. Even if I have the company names wrong, the point is that reliance on connected authentication and expiration of subscription are a risk if a company goes out of business, get's bought out, of simply decides to go in another direction. The end user is the one to suffer in this business model.

[Daveporter33765]

I learned a long time ago that it’s important to render individual tracks once the final mix is completed and it’s being sent to the mastering engineer. I always save the rendered tracks in the project folder. Then, if the DAW software or some plugin is no longer available at some future time I can still have use of the stems to recreate the mix if necessary. I realize one can’t make any changes but at least the individual stems are available if needed.

[Tt Mascero]

Re: El fin de las licencias perpetuas
Aprendí hace mucho tiempo que es importante renderizar pistas individuales una vez que se completa la mezcla final y se envía al ingeniero de masterización. Siempre guardo las pistas renderizadas en la carpeta del proyecto. Luego, si el software DAW o algún complemento ya no está disponible en el futuro, aún puedo usar los tallos para recrear la mezcla si es necesario. Me doy cuenta de que uno no puede hacer ningún cambio, pero al menos los tallos individuales están disponibles si es necesario.

Muy buena idea! :)

[jeffro]

Originally Posted by QuikDraw

They "say" you can reinstate expired perpetual from your account. $349 for Studio. They even have a nice looking flow chart showing that option. But it's not available in my account. Only subscriptions.

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!

[gnprice]

Originally Posted by rampartthemovie

im sure perpetual now is fine as they can keep buying the yearly update plan without surrendering perpetual, but when do those phase out as well? It makes no sense to stop selling perpetual, but then all of a sudden perpetual owners who already had it can still buy a plan?

It sounds like yearly updates will also eventually phase out, if perpetual is being stopped, why not stop perpetual users all together if avid wants to get rid of perpetual outright? It all just seems like a slow burn so that eventually perpetual plans can get phased out as well. It really does not make sense.

Something is being hidden, and that obviously is perpetual update plans will no longer be buyable probably gone in 2 years or so to force subscription.

It just makes no sense to eliminate one half, when you obviously want to get rid of it (the point of removing hte option to buy in the first place) then act like perpetual is still supported when its obviously just there to let users down slow about the ultimate plan. Shady stuff, I already predicted perpetual going away and this just seems obvious whats gonna happen. You bring back re-instatements as well to ease the outrage until one day, the perpetual is fully gone.

Originally Posted by 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

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

[RobertDorn]

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

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.

[ishur]

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.

Isn't that precisely what they're doing? Unless you pony up a grand a year, your HDX will be useless if you don't already have a perpetual license. And anyone who wants to get into an HDX system who didn't previously have one will have no choice but to pay that $1000/year even if they don't need all the bells and whistles that come with Flex.

[smurfyou]

Originally Posted by Obsidian Dragon

You bring up a very good point. I once had a DJ controller that used Torq software (which I liked). I think the controller was from M-Audio (My memory could be wrong). Anyways, long story short, the company was bought out (was it by Digidesign/Avid?) and the new company soon discontinued the Torq software. Not only did it render my software unable to launch (it did some type of call home authentication), it rendered the controller useless as it was proprietary and doesn't work with any other software. Total wasted dollars down the drain. Even if I have the company names wrong, the point is that reliance on connected authentication and expiration of subscription are a risk if a company goes out of business, get's bought out, of simply decides to go in another direction. The end user is the one to suffer in this business model.

The market is littered with abandoned M-Audio products. Shame, the original Midiman company had good support.

Similar story with Emu Emulator X. It will still run but can't be activated if you need. I know there are tons of similar situations.

I think that's a big reason many perpetual license holders like myself would not surrender the license to go subscription. We need to be able to have long term reliability.

[RobertDorn]

Originally Posted by ishur

Isn't that precisely what they're doing? Unless you pony up a grand a year, your HDX will be useless if you don't already have a perpetual license. And anyone who wants to get into an HDX system who didn't previously have one will have no choice but to pay that $1000/year even if they don't need all the bells and whistles that come with Flex.

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.