Understanding Cantabile's Subscription Model

When you purchase a license for Cantabile Solo or Performer you also get a 12 month subscription for one year worth of free updates. Beyond that first year there is a annual subscription to continue to receive updates.

This page clarifies some information about the subscription model and also explains the rationale behind it.

It’s Not a Subscription to Use the Software

The first thing to say about this pricing model is that this is not a mandatory annual subscription to use the software. The subscription is only for updates.

If your subscription expires, the software will continue to run — you’ll just miss out on any new features and updates.

Why Subscriptions?

During the development of Cantabile much thought went into ways to ensure it can survive as a long-term viable business. An important part of that viability is some recurring revenue.

Most software companies earn this recurring revenue by releasing a new version every year or so and charging an upgrade price. This model is very common and generally well accepted by customers.

The problem with this model is the way it incentivizes the software company. In this model, the developer is incentivized (possibly even required) to hold back new features until next year’s version. The motivation is to have a nice long bullet list of features to make the upgrade attractive to customers.

Compare this to an update subscription model. In this model the developer is motivated to provide a steady stream of worthwhile updates — lest the customer perceive the subscription as not worth the subscription fee and cancels.

There’s one other reason I’ve decided on this model: Cantabile’s development depends heavily on a fast feedback cycle between implementing new features and then fine tuning them over time. A subscription model provides much better support for this kind of development.

Regular vs Early Bird Subscriptions

When you renew your subscription:

• If your subscription hasn’t expired, your new subscription will add 12 months to the end of the current expiration date (so you get a full year worth of updates) and you get an early bird discount of about 20%.

• If your subscription has expired, your new subscription will cover you for 12 months from the current date (you still get a full year worth of updates) but you won’t get the early-bird discount.

My Subscription Has Expired but I Don't Want to Renew

If your subscription has expired and you don't want to renew it you can still continue to run older builds which are available from the Release Notes (v3 v4) page. Just find the last build released before your subscription expired and that build will run fine with your current license.

You can find the date your subscription expires by logging into your account and clicking on your purchased license to view its details.

How to Renew Your Subscription

To renew your subscription:

1. Login to your account
2. Click on the license whose subscription you want to renew
3. Click the "Extend Subscription" button and follow the instructions
4. Once you've renewed your subscription you can download the latest version of Cantabile and Cantabile will automatically re-activate itself (if required).