I am more than prepared to “freeze” and no longer move forward if a subscription-based license happens.
Arguments can be made to how the license is now a virtual subscription, but it is not. My Steinberg licenses, if I bailed right now, will still be able to used right now till the day I die without having to fork over another cent.
My biggest gripe about a subscription:
#1: I refuse to be on the cutting edge due to reliability.
#2: I want to retain the licenses I pay for.
I am skipping Cubase 7 all together. Why should I pay for it or any other version when I will never use it?
I give the community a lot of kudos for adopting new releases and reporting all the problems. That is awesome, their choice, their money and to do what they want to do with it. It is not for me though I used to be that way.
I am a very easy-going guy and apologies if I seem negative. I am just putting my foot down on this. I will not follow Steinberg into a subscription-based licensing model. Cubase 6.5 and I can make a damn good record, do VO, ADR and sound design like the 24-track tape machine and rack gear I used for a decade. 6.5, it may be you and me for the long-haul.