Let me see if I understand this correctly (US dollars).
Standard Cost for Pro is $579
Purchase Elements 5 for $99
Upgrade to Pro from Elements for $479
As an upgrade you would only be getting credit for what you already spent on Elements. Not a real enticing offer. I would think that a sweeter deal might bring more customers to upgrade. Just a thought.
I do see your point but I don’t think it’s a good idea to do that. People could just use that situation to save money anyway i.e. rather than buy Dorico Pro outright, get Elements first just because you can.
Perhaps a fairer model would be to get some sort of a “better deal” when Dorico is on special? I don’t know.
And why should you get it cheaper than everyone who bought Pro outright?
It’s pretty standard across the industry for the sum of upgrades to be the same as the full price - perhaps $10 cheaper, but nothing significant.
From time to time, we sell Dorico updates and upgrades at special offer prices, normally two or sometimes three times in a year. If you would like to be notified next time an offer is active, please make sure you have signed up for newsletters in your Steinberg account.
Wait - I just did my maths. You’ll actually save $1!
Well, why should those who buy the crossgrade get it cheaper? Or those who buy it during a sale? Same answer, I guess. They just do. It’s not unheard of in the industry.
In order to get the crossgrade price, you need to already own the full version of Finale or Sibelius. You can’t fake it. And it’s an incentive for potential customers.
A product coming on sale is the luck of the draw. It happens in every market all over the world and you just have to wait for one or be there at the right time. (In @bill0287’s case, it might be best to wait until sale-season to save $ on the upgrade)
In the end, there’s no point setting a price for the full version but then allow customers to get it cheaper by simply purchasing something else first.
Once upon a time you could crossgrade to Dorico from Notion!
Years ago I bought Encore (remember Encore?) with a amazing discount offer from the local reseller (It was super cheap) just to use it to crossgrade to Sibelius. (Daniel was there at that time). When Dorico was released my Sibelius license was used to crossgrade to Dorico pro 1.
And now I only buy an upgrade when there is a sale offer.
Then why offer a sales at all? It’s the same thing. I don’t necessarily agree with the premise. Incentivizing customers to upgrade vs. jumping to another product improves customer retention, increases market share, and generates product good will.
For example, if I drop $99 dollars on Elements and then the difference between pro and say Sibelius Ultimate is not all that great (and $100 is not all that great), then the competitive product is still on the table as a choice. A stronger incentive to upgrade will deter that. Just a thought.
So everybody should purchase Elements, then purchase the upgrade? Kind of like a cheat code? Then have a good laugh at the poor chumps who just purchased Pro from the start?
Sorry, I don’t see that that’s the way to go.
Dorico Pro Educational: $359
Finale Educational: $99
Dorico Pro Educational Crossgrade: $179
Somewhat odd pricing here too, so I always tell students to buy Finale first, then get the educational crossgrade. That way they then have both programs for $80 less than just getting Dorico at the educational price.
Of course, when that was first introduced, Finale cost “a bit” more. 
Same problem for the poor chumps who didn’t buy it when it was on sale. Sometime stuff happens.
Why shouldn’t buying Elements and upgrading to Pro be almost the same price? It saves you 1$, amazing. It’s almost as if it makes sense.
They didn’t buy it on sale because they didn’t want to/didn’t need to save money. I bought Dorico 4 and 5 both on sales, because, you know, the times kind of required me to do it.
Buying a version and upgrading is an entirely different thing. You might not need all features at the time, and when you do, then the upgrade is basically if you bought the entire thing at once.
The main purpose of sales is to make money. When people have the chance to save a dollar (that’s a coincidence sorry!) but only for a limited time then they are more likely to purchase it while they can. Even when you go to a grocery store and see a “buy one, get one half price” etc it’s only for a limited time.
The purpose of a crossgrade discount is to lure customers from competitors at any time they can.
That verses a permanent way of purchasing a product cheaper is definitely not the same thing at all, sorry.
Save money in total by registering for a local college music ensemble class (under $70 for 1 unit). Then buy the educational Pro using the college registration. Then get the added musical benefit(*) of playing in an ensemble class for 14-16 weeks.
(*) may or may not be a realizable benefit depending on geographical location and stability of students.
Maybe offer a discount 6 months after purchase to avoid people scamming the system. That said, I see why they do it this way allowing you to stagger your payments rather than a lump sum for the Pro.
A program like “Elements” (or similar) is made by a manufacturer so that interested people can try it out in principle and in the basic functions at a reasonable price.
The idea shouldn’t be to buy it just to get the main product cheaper.
Maybe you should look at it this way:
When you upgrade, it’s like buying the main product and getting the Elements product completely refunded.