I agree with most of the posts here. I wouldn’t object to a subscription model if it was optional, but users need a choice. If they do away with perpetual licenses, I won’t be subscribing.
I use Adobe products for my work, and was disgusted when they went Cloud-only. I’ll be sticking with CS6 for as long as possible, and then looking into competing products when CS6 is no longer compatible with new hardware. I don’t need all the latest and greatest upgrades, so hopefully that’ll be a good few years yet. If SB go the same way, I’ll just stick with whatever version of Cubase is current, then look into alternatives when it becomes necessary. I’d really rather not have to switch though - I like Cubase best out of all the DAWs I’ve tried.
Software companies need to realise that many people want to upgrade on their own schedule. I’m self-employed with an unpredictable income, so the last thing I want is another fixed monthly cost. I’d rather just put the money aside for upgrades as and when I want to. I also don’t want to be left without access to my files if I can’t continue subscribing for whatever reason (assuming projects using newer features wouldn’t be backwards-compatible with older versions of the software). Another problem that I’ve seen on the Adobe Cloud forum is that when the inevitable glitches happen, and people can’t run their software, customer service isn’t always as helpful as it should be. This is annoying for anyone, but is a threat to the livelihood of professional users with client deadlines. Would Steinberg’s customer support be any better?
With a few exceptions (anti-virus & the like), software as a service is a horrible idea, IMO. Some might say ‘it’s the future’, but that’s only true if customers allow it. Businesses will do whatever is most profitable for them, so we need to vote with our wallets. At least SB is asking for our input in advance. Hopefully they’ll listen.