Update: June 30, 2016 — Avid has extended the deadline to July 6, 2016.
Updated on June 7, 2016 with additional information about a three-year renewal plan and FAQs.
In a blog post yesterday, and concurrently in a post on the Sibelius chat page, senior product manager Sam Butler announced pricing plans for Sibelius customers using Sibelius 7.5 and earlier who wait until after June 30, 2016 to upgrade to the latest version of Sibelius.
Professional (non-academic) license holders who wait to upgrade until after June 30 will no longer be charged $599 for a perpetual license. The newly announced price is $299 for those customers. The price for Sibelius users that upgrade prior to June 30 is $89. Perpetual licenses include one year of support and upgrades. After one year, the user will still be able to use Sibelius, but will no longer be eligible for upgrades.
Academic license holders can upgrade for $89 at any time. Proof of eligibility is required. Sam clarified that “those in education will need to verify their eligibility each time they upgrade at $89 to prove they are eligible for the discount.” He also said, “If you’re just renewing the upgrade plan [before the expiration], the price is $89 whether you’re in education or not so there’s no verification on that.”
Sam said that the pricing change was “in response to user feedback,” presumably including the observation that the cost of crossgrading to a competitive product and back again to Sibelius was significantly less than the $599 full-freight cost of a new Sibelius perpetual license.
In a subsequent post on June 3 on the Sibelius chat forum, Sam said: “After this initial year, you can renew this for $89 for 1 year, or $199 for 3 years, to give you peace of mind that you’re covered.” The post also has a series of FAQs.
Peter McAleer
Too little too late and it doesn’t address the insulting treatment of users expected to pay up-front, on a promise, for software that has delivered practically nothing over last 3 or more years. For me it makes more fiscal sense to keep my money – Sibelius as is, for good, on legacy machines, and put that money I’d be wasting into new hardware, ready for Dorico’s release. What a shambles Avid is.
Bob
>Too little too late and it doesn’t address the insulting treatment of users expected to pay up-front, on a promise, for software that has delivered practically nothing over last 3 or more years<
+1
Cat
Same as Atkins Rail!!
The only way is down!! Lol
Where do these companies get their management teams from the Kamikaze School of Economics!! Seriously I don’t think Avid or Atkins have a clue!!
Alienate everyone and they still expect to stay in business. Methinks I can smell psychopaths!!
itzhak Yaron
I buy not leaseL
Totally agree:
Are musicians that ignorant to exchange ownership of a program for…. frivolous upgrades?
The tragedy of profit driven stock companies to squeeze profits with no added value?
Same with Pro Tools cloud cooperation? Leasing with all plug ins? What nonsense is that? Creating artificial perceived added value.
Luis
I’m thinkin’ customer feedback, yeah, sort of; but more like Dorico’s profile is looming on the horizon. I wonder if the formerly-employed-by-Sibelius software engineers who have been working on Dorico are gloating. :-)
Barry Ould
Am I missing something here? Upgrade before 30th June for $89 after that its $299 – doesn’t sound like easing prices to me. Avid is treating the Sibelius user base as if we are all idiots! I too am waiting for Dorico to appear. Wake up Avid otherwise you’re going to lose a lot of users.
Peter Norton
So far I not saw any final version of Dorico. So, my euphoria thus kept within limits for Dorico. We will see. Sibelius has a long development roadmap and it is still one of the best notation programs and have the potential to stay on top as long as Avid understand, that SIbelius users are not Milking Cows but professional partners. Take her wishes seriously and Sibelius will continue to be successfull.
Nicholas Cooper
I am only an amateur user and using V6 which for my needs suffices, ie; Brass ensembles. .
In my opinion Music software prices are far too high.
Luke
I’m pretty sure I don’t understand this pricing structure at all. Could someone help me understand how this is a better deal?
Cat
It isn’t for you, it us for AVID, well until October etc!!
Cat
Actually, call me mad but this malarkey feels like what us Brits have just gone through with the Brexit!! Watch out AVID you bluff may well be called, just like with us and the EU!!