Is paying for music software on subscription a bad idea?

Although many of us are happy to pay a subscription fee for our music and movies, the reaction to music software companies charging for their products this way is invariably negative. Perhaps it’s because customers feel the said companies are charging too much, or maybe it’s the idea that they’ll lose their software the second they stop paying.

This hasn’t stopped more companies from introducing subscription models, though, and we certainly wouldn’t say that they’re an inherently ‘bad’ idea. If you do the sums, you might well find that buying a product outright will work out cheaper in the long run, but if you’re not sure that you’re still going to be using that product a couple of years down the line, paying a monthly fee might be a better option.

There’s also the question of flexibility. Propellerhead’s new Reason Rack Extensions subscription service, for example, enables you to download Rack Extensions up to a certain value ceiling ($400, $1000 or $3000), and you have the option of changing the products you’re subscribing to each month. So, if you find you’re not using something, you can simply swap it out for something else. Other companies enable you to pay a flat fee to access their entire product line.

In the case of each subscription service, it’s a case of weighing up the pros and cons and deciding if it’s going to work for you – both financially and in terms of the way you use your software. You’re not obliged to pay for your software in this way, but don’t dismiss the idea until you’re certain what you’re being offered.