Introducing Komplete Now

I can't really say, just of the top of my head I would say from lower single digits to €20, maybe €30 for the top tier. This will of course cause a riot, so I think there needs to be introduced other differences in the subscription model. Thinking along the lines of regular on-line authentication vs the freedom of off-line usage. The latter has a value in it self for many.

 

How about a credit system like the loopy-loop subscriptions do? At every tier with different price points users can pick X amount of instruments and FX. Could be a management nightmare tho.

 

We're still in a feedback listening phase to adapt the offer depending on everyone's needs, there's no closed doors.

 

No, not for $9.99 but Reason+ is $19.99 and you do get everything plus future content. As soon as I saw how little was included in KNow, I lost all interest. I would have expected at least all of Komplete Select. Just saying.

 

Well put me down as an optimist for this path. And also as a KU13CE owner (and owner of 3 NI keyboards) as someone who would welcome a future "subscription add-on" to current license owners to get all new interim products released between big version cycles. This is a big frustration for me as an owner of the what should be the "Ultimate" Ultimate.... it lacks exciting new stuff soon after your big version upgrade purchase.

 

That is an amazing idea +1 for that

Uwe

 

Even though some might see the benefits of the subscription model I'm hesitant to say anything good about it IF its the start of that slippery slope that eventually ditches the perpetual license. The key words here are if and eventually. Is this the camels nose in the door? What Id be interested in seeing is NI written word that they will never ditch the licenses we agreed to, that I understand as perpetual. Im a K13 UCE owner and I want to keep it that way. Im old school and the subscription/rent model is a scary prospect to be honest.

A little off topic maybe but I NEVER EVER want to see any products become dependant on having an internet connection to keep using them. The ability to use them offline was one of the first things I checked off. I would not have purchased this package if this wasn't possible. I might as well say this as well since this is all about licenses. I think the worst thing is planned obsolesence. I understand that in the big picture, software companies like NI have to "work in with" the dictates of the likes of M$ and Apple and others which can throw a spanner in the works.

 

and instead of this nonsense why can't I rent to own with KOMPLETE ULTIMATE?

You make it easier for those who are not clients than for those who already are. I do not see it well to demand € 600 or € 1000 for a package forcing to pay it at once. Sorry guys

 

The route we've decided to take is spelt out pretty clearly in the blog post imo. We're not planning to ditch perpetual licenses.

 

Thankyou for your response Matt. I did actually read the blog post so my post wasn't made without taking that into account.

 

You don't have to pay that at once, i bought me the way up over the years and skipped some versions too.

Uwe

 

It's very affordable, actually. I don't think I paid more than 300 € for Komplete Select, and then the upgrade to Komplete. Considering the amount of high quality content in there, it's kind of a no-brainer. Even if you only use 10 to 20% of what's actually in the package, is very good value for money.

 

I don't see the point being grumpy because they introduced an additional payment option (subscription). Maybe the rent to own option will come later down the road. How I understand it is they are now more throwing out some feelers for the subscribe model, and I guess there will be more of them as time moves by.

I'm oldskool and prefer to buy, but the times they are a changing and a subscription based option is needed, expected and accepted by a younger audience me thinks.

I'm still not into the full versions of Kontakt and Reaktor, but I could see an option of subscription here attractive ... more as a try before you buy , rather than as a permanent solution.

 

Actually, seeing that the money you spend on the way from Komplete Start to Komplete Ultimate is never lost if you decide early on not to buy individual products, it already is a very attractive entry path into the whole ecosystem. I did it just like Uwe303 described and it's true. No-one forces you into anything and by the time you stacked up until you reach Komplete Ultimate you don't have to spend that much money anymore.

Frankly, this well thought out upgrade path is the main thing why I can't really see the point in subscribing. I cancelled my sounds.com for similar reasons, it just wasn't as attractive as upgrading and updating Komplete.

 

To fully see the benefit of subscription, you have to project to how a fully developed and well-designed music creation ecosystem will be offered. And you have to embrace the honest ongoing needs of a variety of parties. The transition will be messy at times, but I am optimistic where things will land in a 2-3 years.

A key development issue is how to handle interrupt in subscription for budget challenged users. iZotope is on a good path with this issue. Your subscription products will still process in your your projects if you stop subscriptions, but you can't change parameters. If NI can offer a similar function, that will be an important feature.

What you own in the event of stopping a subscription, is the music you created with it. Envision that you are renting time in a music creation environment to create some music. Come and go as you need. No need to spend a huge amount of upfront money to "own" the tools of creation.

 

Thinking more about this, the title could maybe be "Introducing Sound as a Service Now". NI has a wast library of sounds, which I guess it could be of interest to have access to. Say on a project basis, where your looking for "the one" sound that fits there and then. I'm more a generator/preset guy, and there is noway that I will ever fill up a 1GB + drive with sounds. As a cloud based service though, it might be of interest to have temporary access to a vast arsenal of sounds.

Just thinking out loud.

 

What would be really cool is if there was a "Play Now" instrument, which had a generic Play Series instrument that was updated each month with new sounds and presets. That way, you would open up the Play Series engine to greater customization, and the ability to mix samples from different genres. You would also avoid cannibalizing sales of the major releases. Even better would be the ability to drop your own samples into the engine, but that seems like more of a stretch, given the complexities of the browser. I also second the idea of integrating sounds.com into the service, which would play well with this idea.

 

Sounds exactly like Output's Arcade.

 

You say you are listening to feedback. Well…simple: NO SUBSCRIPTIONS. And you say “We're not planning to ditch perpetual licenses”. That’s what EVERYONE says when introducing subscriptions…and then…1-2 years later…
I’m a NI user from day one, I own practically everything NI makes (4 Maschines…well 5 with Maschine Jam (which I’m just scared you will abandon very soon), Komplete Kontrol S, NI Audio interfaces, Z1, X1, 2 F1, 2 D2 (that you already abandoned), Kore (that you abandoned), Komplete 13 Ultimate Collector Edition,…EVERYTHING!)…and I don’t want to change all of this cause in a couple of years NI will be a subscription company.
Let me be clear again: NO SUBSCRIPTIONS!
PLEASE!

 

I still can't believe NI put a dumbed-down version of the Battery library in this with only a handful of kits. Seriously, if you want people to pay for a monthly subscription, at least put full versions of your products in it.