Pro Tools goes FULL SUBSCRIPTION? Perpetual licenses phasing out?

[James Steele]

I have a perpetual Pro Tools license I got back in October of last year... used. Looks good that I got in under the wire here. Avid has now split the Pro Tools product into Pro Tools Artist, Pro Tools Studio, and Pro Tools Flex and announced an update which I'm now installing. I had the basic PT which is now called "Artist." Here's the info:

https://www.avid.com/resource-center/me ... ols-lineup

Note this paragraph (Emphasis mine):

As you may have already noticed, Pro Tools Artist, Pro Tools Studio, and Pro Tools Flex will only be sold as annual or monthly subscriptions to new customers, but as explained above, existing perpetual customers are not affected by this change.

The way I read this is that perpetual licenses are gone unless you're grandfathered in. I guess I picked a good time to get on board. Mine doesn't expire until October, and by then I imagine there should be an M1 native version available and I can sit on that for a while without handing more money over to Avid. I only got Pro Tools for project exchange, etc.

Here's my new splash screen. I have ZERO *real* projects in PT at this point. Like I said... I keep it on my Mac *just in case* but am so much more comfortable on DP.

Screen Shot 2022-04-26 at 2.15.38 PM.png (123.2 KiB) Viewed 1126 times

[stubbsonic]

Couldn't happen to a "nicer" product.

I suppose people who need it already have it, people who don't already have it might be fine with a subscription model.

I'm glad this subscription thing is relatively slow to take off.

[James Steele]

Yeah. I’m not a fan of the subscription model. A guy locally was selling a PT perpetual license for $300 last October so I went for it. We met at a coffee shop with WiFi and I made sure I could register it before I paid him because I was very leery but it all worked out.

Not sure what happens if your subscription lapses? I guess your iLok license has to get renewed every month perhaps? I don’t know and don’t want to find out. Hopefully the perpetual will last me for a while.

[mikehalloran]

I was wondering if today's announcement would be that PT was going Native but noooooooooooo…

I don't use PT but it seems that a number of apps and plug-ins are waiting on Avid before they update so I wish they'd get off the pot.

[James Steele]

I was wondering if today's announcement would be that PT was going Native but noooooooooooo…

I don't use PT but it seems that a number of apps and plug-ins are waiting on Avid before they update so I wish they'd get off the pot.

Yeah... hard to believe that Avid is taking so long! I'm pretty sure they'll get it done before my perpetual license expires in October. I'm trying to figure out if it's a difficult thing to download the installer if I don't have a Mac Studio by then, so I can save it and install when I finally do.

[Killahurts]

I went for the subscription last year, up for renewal soon. I don't care for subscriptions of any kind, I make it a rule to avoid them.. but I made an exception with Pro Tools. I have found that it's something I simply have to have available at my studio, and the $330+ per year subscription is considered an operating expense. I chose it over the perpetual license because I didn't know if I would stick with it. I did entertain it as my main DAW last summer, along with Logic Pro, but advances with DP have changed all that. Still I will keep both PT and Logic, the one I have to pay for every year, and the one that makes up for it by being a one-time payment forever.

[James Steele]

I went for the subscription last year, up for renewal soon. I don't care for subscriptions of any kind, I make it a rule to avoid them.. but I made an exception with Pro Tools. I have found that it's something I simply have to have available at my studio, and the $330+ per year subscription is considered an operating expense. I chose it over the perpetual license because I didn't know if I would stick with it. I did entertain it as my main DAW last summer, along with Logic Pro, but advances with DP have changed all that. Still I will keep both PT and Logic, the one I have to pay for every year, and the one that makes up for it by being a one-time payment forever.

I hear you. I got the perpetual from a guy who sold it to me after getting it as a gift and he already had one. The perpetual is a gamble anyway. After one year, your support runs out and if you end up wanting to upgrade after that time (for example, to stay compatible with a more modern version of MacOS), you have to pony up. I'm hoping that Avid will have the M1 native version out before October when my perpetual license runs out so I can get that version and it will hold me for a good long while. After that... it may be that I'll have no choice but to change to subscription.

I can understand these subscription deals if you're running a studio that accepts clients... but I largely just use my studio for my own personal projects, so I'd rather avoid the subscription model if I can. I certain circumstances, of course, it makes sense.

[CharlzS]

After that... it may be that I'll have no choice but to change to subscription.

They are still offering the annual plan for perpetual owners at $199/year to keep current.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... for-1-year

If you were to switch to the subscription, it would be $299/year.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... ic-renewal

There is still some controversy on the additional plugs, etc. that would be discontinued with the expiration of a perpetual plan. If you're only using all the stock stuff offered with previous incarnations, that shouldn't be an issue (but no guarantees with Avid).

[apanacci]

I have had the perpetual for years now. Also paying a lower rate because I teach at a jazz college here in Toronto. I have to pay every year to get updates and we get a lot of plugins and HEAT if we keep on paying every year. If I decide not to renew I keep Protools at the last version at that time but will lose the plugins. Happy with that !