How do you feel about monthly subscription pricing models?

Scott Powell

“If I own the software after a set period of time, I’m totally down for it. But like with Slate, where I’m just paying and paying, that doesn’t interest me at all.”

Lee Whitfield

“It would be fine for a short-term lease of an otherwise expensive piece of software that you only need on occasion, and in short bursts (eg, for audio restoration), but not for continuous usage of workhorse plugins. I have software from tens of separate developers – it would cost a small fortune to rent from them all!”

Matt Black

“I think they’re great for samples, because you get to keep them. But with software, I only like the idea of ‘rent-to-buy’ – I don’t see the point of paying for VSTs for a number of years, then when I stop paying, I lose access to all of them. What happens if I want to revisit an old project, when I paid for the plugins at the time?”

Rob Mitchell

“Subscriptions are not for me. I’d like an option to buy as well, and not have to wait a whole year to get just one plugin (cough, cough, Roland…) after paying more than $200 over 12 months.”

Hadge Hughes

“I question if it’s really necessary. The problem is that often you end up with a hard drive full of stuff you’ll never use. I prefer to hunt down stuff that I know I will definitely use, and either get it free, or pay for it as a download.”

Renyar Ttam

“I think the ‘rent-to-buy’ model is a fantastic idea for people who like to invest in their hobbies, and support companies that provide the software. A one-off purchase for something like a DAW can be prohibitively expensive for some, especially as ‘lite’ versions are very restricted. Just a plain rental option isn’t the way forward – the possibility of losing a product you’ve paid for is very anticonsumer, as it means never owning something you’ve actually paid for.”

Mark Davies

“If you’re just starting out then I think it’s a good idea. It will probably save you cash in the long run.”

James Wiltshire, F9 Audio

“As a developer of soundware, it doesn’t work for us here at F9, as the development costs incurred in our releases means they only work as ‘packed’ products. Also, I can’t ask our featured artists to have their amazing talents available for mere pence per loop. As a producer, I can see it may seem handy initially, but these systems can lead to quality issues over time – I’ve seen some shocking stuff out there already, including drum sounds not trimmed, and blatant copyright infringement.”