Will we switch to subscription method in the future? (monthly or annually)
pro tools use it , there are even rumors that logic will subscribe in the future. I don’t know, but it’s very exciting to wonder what Steinberg thought about it.
Never, ever I hope.
10 Likes
Same here… plus if we think about it the other way… Where the price we pay for upgrades each year compared to the minimum they might charge us for subscription not less 30$/35$ monthly… That’s 360-420 a year… that’s alot of money each year compared to 150$ a year and if you choose to stay up to date… or not where you still have a working copy of cubase on your computer that you own forever.
1 Like
The price for other daws subscription is maximum 15$ per month. They all offer some extra things beside the normal own version. Buying the cubase upgrade from the day 1 is another form of subscription but at least, you choose if you want to upgrade or no, and you have new features. Considering that, when you subscribe to something, you are committed to a payment and it should cost less than an upgrade.
1 Like
noooooo!
1 Like
F no. Don’t even plant this idea.
Subscription model is just pure evil and ethically morally bankrupt.
-Forcing creative people to be connected to the internet = morally and ethically irresponsible
-Forcing creative people to have to think about money every month = morally and ethically irresponsible
-Force feeding updates, and add-ons and bs to justify/validate the subscription = morally and ethically irresponsible
-Not considering that some people might have off the grid projects or lifestyle = morally and ethically irresponsible
-not considering that subscription w/ monthly validation also requires someone to be paying for internet = morally and ethically irresponsible
-Not considering that some people creatively and philosophically want to avoid “being connected”, avoid distractions, avoid data mining, etc = ethically and morally irresponsible
-Not considering that someone may only need base features, and not the bs bloatware add-ons released monthly means they are forced to pay for what they don’t use instead of only paying for the software once = morally and ethically irresponsible and greedy
I could go on and on. I spent a lot of money on Adobe CS4 Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc, etc. Was going to update everything to CS6 or latest version and they switched to Sub. They removed access to all patches for previous version of their software from the support website, etc. A55hole move. Reaching out to their support, they lied to me and said “we don’t have those files anymore”. Total bs lie.
Will never give Adobe another cent, they are the only company I “yarrr matey” from. F me over, I F you over.
The only acceptable format similar to subscription, is rent-to-own. This would at least allow financially disadvantaged individuals to use the software immediately or periodically and eventually own it. But the option to full-pay per version should still exist.
6 Likes
Yes, LoveGames, I agree with you. Thank you for putting it well. Unfortunately it seems that some people do not understand how they are beholden in a subscription model. For instance, suppose you can no longer afford to pay the subscription fee due to unforseen circumstances - poof, your ability to make music just went away. Better hussle and come up with that payment.
3 Likes
Yea… like a global pandemic may occur and all your income from live gigs dissipates from thin air and cant even afford internet to validate a subscription let alone pay for a subscription itself…
1 Like
Surely THAT can’t happen!!
I agree whole-heartedly and vote NO as well.
Tom
2 Likes
After the eLicenser cloud in the Future topic (which has been closed, by the way), we now have the Subscription for Cubase/Nuendo (future) one, these, from the same forumer… 
@CubaseProUser
So, a clear answer about the subscription model, from me : NO. And contrarily to what I stupidly did in your previous topic, I won’t argue further.
Rather than worrying about Steinberg business model, wouldn’t it be better for you to try to actually use and enjoy Cubase as it is, presently, just to be in accordance with your own forum name ? Worth a check and less time lost, I assure you… 
2 Likes
it was just a little wonder, nothing more
good work
1 Like
No!!! Don’t even think about this, Steinberg!
2 Likes
I think it will happen, and it won’t affect users who want to carry on with the perpetual license either. Look at Studio One and their Sphere offering - happily co-exists.
Steinberg have the option of throwing in Groove Agent, Halion etc. to the monthly too. Personally i think it would be quite an attractive package.
Not for me personally as i prefer to upgrade and pay when and as i want. But that doesn’t mean i’d hate on it like most who only have their own self interests at heart.
As i see it, more flexibility enables a wider range of users to whom a one off payment of $500 isn’t economically viable. If you add into that full versions of Steinberg products and libraries (Such as the Sphere plan) - then for many people it could be an amazing entry into Steinberg products.
In fact, the more i think about it, i’d probably give it a few months trial to try the products that Steinberg offer beyond Cubase Pro - a 30 day trial isn’t enough for me to know if i’d use a product or not, whereas a subscription plan that you can dip in and out of is.
There will be a lot of musicians who just dabble with Cubase that won’t be able to justify the cost myself included. Even tho I’m running pro 10.5 and wavelab pro I often go months without using either. I keep it upgraded only when I have spare funds and when I want to upgrade. I won’t be forced into a subscription like adobe tried to do with their cloud based system.
Probably not so bad if your making money from of which I’m not. I have been a Cubase user since pro 24 days on an Atari but I’m not prepared to pay monthly for something I may not use for weeks/ months at a time.
Don’t do it.
Ah, but being ‘forced’ into a subscription, and having an “All you can eat” subscription as an option are two completely different discussions. Whenever i’ve seen this discussed by Steinberg themselves it’s always been an option, not as a replacement.
2 Likes
Then that’s fair enough, for as long as there is a choice 
As long as the option to buy is still there, I really cant see anything wrong with having a subscription service as long as you can dip in and out. I would like the option to subscribe for a day, week or month.
I agree wholeheartedly!
Subscription in parallel with purchase is a welcome addition indeed.
Another really valid use case for subscription is short term collaboration:
If I’m collaborating with somebody else on a shorter term project, but don’t have long term interest in their DAW(s) or plugin(s) of choice, it might be very nice to be able to rent their toolkit for the duration of the project.
So while I’m not a general fan or user of subscriptions, I can see myself using some of those down the road sometime.
p.s. If/when using subscription based software, one would want to be very conscientious to “print” (render) individual tracks to audio and maybe midi when done with a project. – Just like good studios do anyway, just to avoid being caught with current software or versions or formats being incompatible with older projects.
I use subscription models with work that provide you the last ‘paid’ version of the software as a ‘reward’ for 12 months continuous sub - it’s non-transferrable (Meaning it remains tied to your account so you can’t sell it). But it’s a nice concept as it offers a ‘fallback’ if you stop the sub.
Example:- https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207240845-What-is-perpetual-fallback-license-
I.e. In the case of Cubase, if you were a subscriber today with 24 months sub history you would ‘own’ C10.5, And using C11 whilst your sub is active. Then at the end of the year, you would own C11, and be subbing for C11.5.
The only thing that would make me hesitate to continue with Cubase Pro is subscription.
I came from SONAR and the beginning of the end came with that subscription model. And it was a “kind” model (you could keep the software after closing your subscription). I would never like to see this with Steinberg. At the beginning SONAR gave us monthly interesting updates, then asked to pay more. And then the updates became less and less interesting (a new button, a bug correction…) then they stopped all of this and kept my money…
Subscription is something that is good for the vendor, not for 90 % of the buyers… It’s also an open door to immoral rules. For example, Magix has a kind of subscription model for graphics or video software. You pay and you can expect one year of updates. But if your computer crashes after this year, you can only reinstall the original software (without the updates…).
On other niche markets like 3D animation, it was a way to oblige the consumers to pay more than you can believe. For example 3DS max = 2000 € / year…