I'm gonna toss this in this thread so I can find it later if we need to.
From Steven Slate:
The software industry is evolving. And it’s going fast. The things we can do with 1’s and 0’s is quite astonishing these days, as I’m sure you’d agree. But along with the evolution of of the actual software applications is the evolution of how software is being distributed to users.
I’ll get straight to my point, and I’m aware that this may strike some people in a conflicting way, but hear me out:
Unlike hardware, purchasing software [in 2018] is actually a BAD INVESTMENT.
Software doesn’t hold its value. That’s a fact, and if you’ve ever tried to sell software, one you know all too well. So considering something that depreciates in value so drastically, and which you may even have to pay fees to keep updated is…like I said…not a great investment.
Slate Digital is not getting rid of customers’ ability to buy our software outright, but at our new pricing plan of $14.99/mo (which includes all of our software, all updates, all NEW software plugins, and even third party plugins), it’s become quite obvious that the more logical way to access our tools is not to continue spending hundreds on each of them…I mean, our Verbsuite Classics Reverb costs $199 alone, and that’s $20 more than an entire year of the whole Everything Bundle!
But naturally, there are concerns, common questions, and skepticism. So let’s get it all out and you can understand where we at Slate Digital are coming from:
Q: At $14.99, it’s going to add up and in ten years I’ll have spent way more money than if I just bought the plugins!
A: Not even close. Let’s do the math: $14.99 is only $180 a year. In ten years, you will have spent $1800. Now, if you bought each plugin for an average of $150 per plugin, that same $1800 would get you 12 plugins. There is more than double that number in the Bundle right now, so imagine how many will be in your plugin arsenal in ten years! In terms of money, you’ll never spend more getting access to the plugins than buying them.
Q: Ok, I’m not buying it. This price seems a bit too good, so how are you screwing us? What’s in it for YOU???
A: Fair question. Let’s go back to 2014. We had some great plugins that cost around $150 to $199 each, and we were expecting to grow with each new release. But it didn’t happen. At that pricing, the barriers were too high for much of the audio industry who simply could not afford to buy our plugins, and many of them were using pirated software instead.
So the Everything Bundle changes that outdated business model completely. Instead of focusing on maximizing profit PER customer, it minimizes profit per customer to eliminate the barrier to entry, and then simply relies on customer QUANTITY. So you pay less, but we get more of you, and this becomes a true WIN WIN for everyone. We grow our business, and you get tons of great plugins for the price of two pints of beer at the pub. There’s no catch. It’s just a better way to do business.
Q: I already own some of your plugins. Does it still make sense to get the Everything Bundle or should I just buy?
A: If you believe that you’ll enjoy just a minimum of two plugins that we release every year, it absolutely makes sense to join the Everything Bundle rather than keep buying. It’s a far more logical way to go forward, regardless of past investments. The new VerbSuite Reverb alone would cost you more than an entire year of the bundle.
I’ll give you a real world example: In the early 2000’s, I purchased a ton of movies and television series on DVD…I imagine I probably spent over $1,500. Then I joined Netflix, and I’d wager that almost every one of those movies and TV shows that I purchased on DVD was available on their list of content. But it still makes sense to pay the $8.99 a month to watch new stuff on Netflix, despite the fact that it also contains content I’ve previously purchased, because frankly, spending $15 per show on DVD seems ridiculous!
And I’d say this is the same with the future of buying plugins. Spending big dollar amounts on software is going to be a thing of the past.
Q: I’m not going to need all the tools that are introduced each year, so maybe it makes more sense to buy?
A: Well, again, if you think you’ll spend at least $180 each year on buying single plugins, then why not get the whole bundle, and then have access to the entire toolset to use what you need! You may not need every plugin for every mix, but it’s sure nice to have a lot of crayons in the box for when you need that one certain color!
Q: What if I stop my membership and then in several years I need to recall a mix?
A: This is actually an advantage of the Everything Bundle. If you need a recall, simply activate the bundle again for a month, pay the $14.99, and you’ll be assured that you have every plugin back, all updated and working flawlessly, and the best tech support available if you need it.
Q: But I like to own my stuff. It just feels good and makes me sleep nicely.
A: Well, the point of creating our plugins is so that you can USE them on your mixes. Whether you buy the plugins to use on your mixes or you ACCESS the plugins to use on your mixes, it won’t matter. But it will matter to your wallet when you realize that buying them is a ton more money!!
I’ll be adding to this as we go, but I hope this clears your mind if you are considering your options! Either way, we are here to support you and help you get the greatest mixes possible!
Cheers,
Steven Slate