I know there are a few conversations going on here and gear sluts but I could not find a dedicated thread on here so I thought I would ask a few questions for you all to answer....
I have read all the threads on gear sluts and on here, I have read the info on the Slate web site and I do understand what the deal is.
I am concerned, however, about what this means for people like me who already own MANY slate products and the fact that a few key questions have been avoided by Steven Slate when he answered posts on gear sluts.
Please bear in mind these are my opinions on the matter and I am not trying to claim to know better than Steven or anyone else here.
So, The initial thought of saving up to (or over) 80% is tempting at first.
The idea of only spending $200 - $300 a year instead of the nearly $1000 (according to Slate) is tempting too.
BUT...
1) lets say you run these plugins for a few years on subscription but then for some reason you can't afford it any more (or any other reason you can insert here) you then cancel your subscription and are left with nothing to show for the years of sub fees and the loyalty to Slate.
Just my opinion but this does not sit well with me.
2) So for loyal customers yeah its a few months free, which is nice, I understand they don't have to do this BUT by doing this I feel they are kind of admitting that there is some kind of unfairness to this deal otherwise they would not have bothered at all.
At the end of the first year you get a $200 voucher to spend at the store you don't need any more because you are on subscription.
Do you get this at the end of each year or just the first?
3) if Slate can let ALL of his plugins go for just over $200 a year I find it impossible to believe that he can continue to justify the current retail price point to buy them. Steven has said that the retail prices won't change from the $150 - $200 range.
For the subscription prices to sit well it would mean that the buy prices would have to be dropped considerably as well otherwise I can only see it as a penalty to those who just want to own the plugin.
I know Slate says nothing changes for those not wanting to participate but I don't feel that statement is entirely transparent and at the same time it is WAY to true. Yes, nothing changes, but maybe it should. As in the retail price point.
Those not wanting to participate in the subscription are being forced to pay WAY more for a product than others.
This compromises the value of the product immediately, doesn't it?
If future VMR modules would come out at a reasonable price (under $50) then it would be more fair.
Why should subscribers get such a big discount compared to the rest of us.
Even if it was a 20% saving it would entice people to subscribe but the people buying would not feel so ripped off.
My concern is this deal is really aimed at the bottom end users like bedroom warriors and top end pros with fully functional studios being run every day. For people like me in the middle it makes no financial sense to pay money (even at a lower price) and still not own the plugins after all is said and done.
I might save 50% or more over a few years but once I stop paying my subscription I will own nothing. Even at 50% discount being left with nothing at the end of it is not the best deal.
Or am I missing something obvious?
My two cents on the subject.
The hard part is I am a loyal Slate customer and I want to continue using his gear BUT this does change more than he is willing to admit.
IMHO.
Cheers,
Nigel.
I have read all the threads on gear sluts and on here, I have read the info on the Slate web site and I do understand what the deal is.
I am concerned, however, about what this means for people like me who already own MANY slate products and the fact that a few key questions have been avoided by Steven Slate when he answered posts on gear sluts.
Please bear in mind these are my opinions on the matter and I am not trying to claim to know better than Steven or anyone else here.
So, The initial thought of saving up to (or over) 80% is tempting at first.
The idea of only spending $200 - $300 a year instead of the nearly $1000 (according to Slate) is tempting too.
BUT...
1) lets say you run these plugins for a few years on subscription but then for some reason you can't afford it any more (or any other reason you can insert here) you then cancel your subscription and are left with nothing to show for the years of sub fees and the loyalty to Slate.
Just my opinion but this does not sit well with me.
2) So for loyal customers yeah its a few months free, which is nice, I understand they don't have to do this BUT by doing this I feel they are kind of admitting that there is some kind of unfairness to this deal otherwise they would not have bothered at all.
At the end of the first year you get a $200 voucher to spend at the store you don't need any more because you are on subscription.
Do you get this at the end of each year or just the first?
3) if Slate can let ALL of his plugins go for just over $200 a year I find it impossible to believe that he can continue to justify the current retail price point to buy them. Steven has said that the retail prices won't change from the $150 - $200 range.
For the subscription prices to sit well it would mean that the buy prices would have to be dropped considerably as well otherwise I can only see it as a penalty to those who just want to own the plugin.
I know Slate says nothing changes for those not wanting to participate but I don't feel that statement is entirely transparent and at the same time it is WAY to true. Yes, nothing changes, but maybe it should. As in the retail price point.
Those not wanting to participate in the subscription are being forced to pay WAY more for a product than others.
This compromises the value of the product immediately, doesn't it?
If future VMR modules would come out at a reasonable price (under $50) then it would be more fair.
Why should subscribers get such a big discount compared to the rest of us.
Even if it was a 20% saving it would entice people to subscribe but the people buying would not feel so ripped off.
My concern is this deal is really aimed at the bottom end users like bedroom warriors and top end pros with fully functional studios being run every day. For people like me in the middle it makes no financial sense to pay money (even at a lower price) and still not own the plugins after all is said and done.
I might save 50% or more over a few years but once I stop paying my subscription I will own nothing. Even at 50% discount being left with nothing at the end of it is not the best deal.
Or am I missing something obvious?
My two cents on the subject.
The hard part is I am a loyal Slate customer and I want to continue using his gear BUT this does change more than he is willing to admit.
IMHO.
Cheers,
Nigel.
