This is what Volumio does. And it attracts many users.
This is a very clever commercial strategy.
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If the Studio software was more robust and more polished, I think a lifetime subscription would be attractive.
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That would lose and alienate people like me completely.
I use Adirvana almost exclusively for streaming (Qobuz).
Just go back to the non-subscription business model.
With all this discourse I am supposing that many of the commenters have never ran a business , This endeavor for Damien and his partners is no longer a hobby or charity
It cost real money every month, rent , utilities , internet access …etc etc etc
Damien and Antoine are good guys , But do they deserve to proper compensation ?
I would like some of the commenters to talk to my pizza pub and petrol station because these crazy folks keep charging me every month…How absurd right ?
I support everyone having an opinion…Mother said everybody has one
It’s funny to read such “I know how to run a business” comments around here from time to time, as if companies were unable to survive on NON subscription-based products before this greedy fad came to existence over the last years.
Also, the comparison with pizzas and petrol stations is ridiculous, since EACH time we go there we are purchasing, on a one-off basis, certain products for our own usage. Likewise for software, whose prevailing business model has ALWAYS been to sell one-off licenses for major releases, and then sell again once another major release was out, instead of just stopping access to software after a certain period of time.
In other words: keep innovating and you WILL get our money - but I simply refuse to pay on a monthly or annual basis UNLESS we’re talking about regularly licensed content that changes over time, such as music or video streaming services.
And that is why I decided, a while ago, to pay for a lifetime Roon “subscription”, so that I won’t ever need to worry about stupid renewals every single year moving forward. And no: this is not only about sheer money amounts; it’s about NOT wasting our own time administering subscriptions and stressing about the fact that a certain software may stop working the next day just because you did not renew that license.
Worried about sustainability of your business? Just charge what you think is fair and necessary until your next major release - it was like this before, and plenty of companies made a lot of money on that basis. But do not try to abuse this subscription model as a way to milk customers and ensure an easy, steady revenue stream for yourself.
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Yep, Everyone has one. Not sure why people keep going in a circle
Damien makes the decision, you have the freedom to not participate
My business ran quite well for over 33 years, If people needed/wanted my services I required payment.
If you don’t like pizza how about internet service? Who offers one payment and unlimited access? I will sign up immediately
Different strokes for different folks , enjoy the roon service I’m sure it’s pretty good. If you don’t want to participate here on studio we will miss you.
Have a great day
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All of this argument seems to be from the perspective of developers. We do not need to make their argument for them. What we need is to articulate our wants clearly and maybe back that up with action. That way, developers will clearly know what is wanted and acceptable to consumers. Obviously. if consumers demand something that is not profitable for developers, then developers will simply not offer it. This too is business.
On a side note, it’s greed that drives business. It’s only a problem when it’s anti-competitive or when the market cannot provide necessary supplies/services.
I also have some subscriptions: for the internet package, for the cellular package, for cloud storage, for Netflix… I already have a budget line for a subscription to AS once its problems are fixed, because I’m a long time Audirvana user.
But subscription is the best way to make customers run away, because nobody likes it. It’s better to sell many licenses than few subscriptions.
Roon is a very special case among the players.
First, it has many agreements with hardware makers. People who buy a DAC or a streamer or a NUC… are told that their equipment is Roon ready or Roon certified, and get two months trial. I’m sure that many of them subscribe after that because they are even not aware of there are alternative solutions.
Second, Roon has many features that other players do not have, like multiroom, that are useful to people who need them.
Third, it offers an attractive option to users that are very demanding of sound quality by integrating with HQPlayer.
Four, it offers an enhanced experience to people who want to read bios, critics and a like.
So there are people who are ready to swallow the bitter subscription pill for one or some of the reasons that are listed above.
But if the subscription model works for Roon, it does not mean that it is a business model that will work for other players.
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No, it won’t. To assume that a software house can only ensure “consistent cash flow” through subscriptions is not only incorrect; it is dismissive of customers’ wants and intellectually dishonest in the face of a vast majority of successful experiences that never had to resort to that approach.
In any case, to each his own - feel free to enjoy your monthly/annual fix.
Adam Smith, from his book, The Wealth of Nations:
. . . every individual necessarily labors to render the annual revenue of the society, as great as he can. He generally, indeed, neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is pro-rooting it . . . he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was no part of it. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. (p. 423)
Price argument is a bitch.
There are players like Mconnect that you download completely for free from the Apps Store and that allow you to stream both Tidal and Qobuz without any subscription to the player.
On price, you can not beat them unless you pay the customers to use your player.
I doubt that anybody subscribes to Roon because he’s unaware of other solutions on the market. It’s more likely that people genuinely like it and it delivers value. Same needs to be true for Audirvana at a lower price point.
I agree. We’ll see how this works out for Audirvana.
I’m sure that many just stay with Roon, because they don’t have time to search what are the alternatives. Most customers are not passionate users like us.
I don’t think it matters much what we think.
Damien and his team see this as the right path for a future-proof organization. For them, Audirvana is their income and future.
For us just one of the ways to listen to music. I hope they don’t change their vision and priorities because of a few guys on a forum. I’d be more concerned about that
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Today, anyway.
I do hope that they change their strategy.
If they offer a license of AS for sale, I’ll buy immediately two licenses, regardless of the issues that AS has. One for me and one as a gift to my son.
I’m sure that there are many people who will be happy to buy a license.
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That is entrepreneurship? Sometimes you are right and you are the hero. Sometimes you’re wrong.
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