Seems as though Steinberg have worked with Splice to get Cubase as a monthly rent-to-own version.
Guessing this will auto-deactivate if you cancel the monthly payment, so shows the versatility in the new licensing system to go a monthly route as well as one-off activations for perpetual owners.
How does Splice authorize my Cubase Pro 12 access each month?
Each time your computer connects to the internet, the Splice desktop app will run an authorization check to confirm your plan is still active. Youâll be granted up to 14 days of offline access before another authorization check is required. Once youâve paid off the total cost, the Splice desktop app will no longer be required and youâll receive a lifetime license with unrestricted offline access to Cubase Pro 12.
And this is interesting:
Will I get access to the newest Cubase Pro 12 updates?
Yes, your Rent-to-Own plan will give you seamless updates to the latest versions of Cubase Pro 12 via the Splice desktop app
Doesnât mention that youâll get major updates beyond v12, bare in mind this is a 34 month plan. Iâd be surprised if that is true - unless C12 is going to be matured over 18-24 months perhaps.
As long as itâs Rent-to-OWN, Iâm cool. Itâs just installments at that point, IF one has made a strong decision to buy the product. (of course two and a half years could see a newer version come out, as you say, but an update is easier to handle as a payment. 100-150 is different than 600. I could see MYSELF using this method for Halion Collection for example. Right now, Iâm a bit tight wallet-wise. I could wait some months and buy outright, or press the button, start using it right away and then pay the spare change for a long time.
But, if it becomes ârent-to-use, be left with crap no matter how many years youâve been payingâ⌠then oops, sorry, wrong door!
Something the new management has been waiting to implement ? Something was bound to happen along the lines of Subs/rent-to-own . As long as they donât get licences mixed up and cancel OWNED licences
34 months so we are now moving to a 3 year evo of Cubase ? not such a bad idea but will the Updates cost more purchasing in full . better wait and see how this pans out .
It was obvious with the servers and the lack of comâs on the forum that something was stirring
Maybe it is âprobing the marketâ with this 'poor menâs â offer.
It is a trap anyhow. Once you started the payments there is no way back without losing your money.
Iâd suggest to start with Cubase AI or whatever version that ships with the Steinberg audio interfaces and then safe some money for upgrading Artist - Pro edition. (and jump on the sale offers as you go)
The good part is that after 34 months you own an (by then outdated) license of Cubase Pro.
Ohhh , does this mean if someone rents to own , your attitude towards the m will be different ? i think 'poor mans â offer is a bit of an insult personally , nothing poor about prioritising spare cash flow in hard times . I think you could of phrased that a little better .
This is great news for those that have heard about the Cubase but have been forced to use either free or cheaper DAwâs , we might even see a new era of Midi users perhaps finally a reason to fully implement midi 2 for the up and coming ?
There is no insult intended. I just have the feeling these kind of offers are aiming at a specific market segment that I described as âthe poor menâ. But I understand your reaction.
Nothing wrong with rent to own, Steinberg should implement it themselves, so long as the total cost is roughly the same as an outright purchase. Lots of producers who may not have the budget would get it, i know in the years gone by, i would have done this, spreading the cost at 0% interest is brilliant.
Just realised that Backbone is on there as a separate rental:
Youâd think they would throw it in as a package really, I like the options available for people - but paying full whack isnât all that fair when youâre doing it over 34 months and it will devalue significantly in that time.
Not to mention, what happens when Cubase is on one of their 40% offers?! Does the Splice plan remain full price?
You do ask the wright questions, indeed.
I see it as a marketing technique to lure people into an impulsive purchase. But the 40% offers are similar âŚ
Rent-to-own is better than a subscription plan, but I prefer to buy the perpetual license (and I patiently wait for 40% or better offers)
Heh. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
In the 1950s USA âlayawayâ was popular in retail stores. You pay installments while the item you are buying stays on the store shelf. When you finally pay it off, you take the item home. If you donât pay it off, you would be out the money, unless the store was extra nice about it. Splice is a bit different, but the same model â they let you have the item while you still pay for it, but if you stop paying, you lose the license and the money.
They do let you âpauseâ the payments, but I donât see how thatâs much use â I could end up still paying in 2031 for my Cubase Pro 12 license, and as others have noted according to their terms this just buys you Cubase Pro 12, and not subsequent versions.
Hopefully people will do their due-diligence research, and calculate that the cost of ownership for Cubase Pro for their individual situation.
When I was a kid in the 80s (In UK) most families would rent a TV from the local electronics shop and there would be a little box on the side where you put change.
Theyâd collect that money up over the course of years and by the end of the lease you may be lucky to have enough in there to own it out right! In fact, you could walk in and get a Saturday job at the local shop doing this - so a lot of the time youâd get half-baked teens coming round and counting up old peopleâs money from a wooden box. Pretty dodgy looking back!
Seems crazy really, when you think how many gadgets people have in their homes now, and how priorities have changed towards luxury goods. Weâre all a little of control with it now I tell yee!!
Hey Steve,
I had to read your post twice (I live in Europe) ⌠but yes, it seems to be a similar marketing logic.
I was told people in the US in general have more of these small/short time credits to pay than is the case in Europe. And this model ârent-to-ownâ is clearly aiming the markets segment of people on a tight budget.
Anyhow, I 100% agree with your post.
But in this particular case, one must have a Splice subscription, at least 12$ from what I see, in order to be able to rent-to-own cubase, which is 17$ a month. So, if one has no interest in Splice as a product/service, itâs actually very expensive to get Cubase this way, as it would be 29x36 = 1.044$ after 36 months.
perhaps finally a reason to fully implement midi 2 for the up and coming ?