Disappointed in the v7 Upgrade Price

[emasters]

The subject line says it all.  As a customer who own's most every Arturia software-based product and having upgraded from each version of the Collection, I find it hard to believe Arturia would pushish it's most loyal customers with their V7 upgrade pricing.  In effect, I have helped fund the development team who implemented the V7 features, by purchasing a V4 to V5 upgrade, then a V5 to V6 upgrade.  As a result, my upgrade price is $199.  Another customer who owns V4 and chose not invest in upgrading to V5 or V6, and thus did not invest in the V7 development (which BTW, is perfectly fine to do if one is happy with the V4 features), is also able to upgrade to V7 from V4, for $199.  How is that possible?  What is the thinking behind that type if pricing strategy?  I need to give some thought to my future with Arturia.  Price aside, the message to the most loyal of customers is clear.  I am disappointed and there are many alternatives to chose from in the marketplace.

[djerzinski]

The upgrade is actually 300 bucks if you don't act quickly (or 300€ for us Europeans because, you know, 1$=1€). I don't like some of their selling strategies and decisions either, but at least you got free upgrade for the stuff you already own.
Basically, you get three new VST synths for 60€ each and I have no doubt it's great stuff.
I can imagine it might hurt to have done this upgrade several times already though. Personally, I don't want to spend 200€ right now, so I'll just pass.

[acim]

Something wrong here... Update price is 199 euro's according Arturia in email sent to me. When I log in and see the special price for Arturia customers it's 399 euro till 10th of june??

[acim]

Okay, the price is correct now, 199 euro's

[fenderchris]

Yes, the update price does seem a bit steep for people who have already paid for V6.

In any event, I'm only interested in the Mellotron emulation.

[artao]

Note that this price is for the 3 new instruments plus the Hammond upgrade.
I am currently updating all my V6 instruments. All I have to do is hit the re-register button and it's all good. All the instruments seem to have gotten some UI improvements for the most part.
So we DON'T have to pay to update what we already have. The $200usd is for the new stuff only. That's a HUGE relief to me

Release Notes:

V 1.4.0

New features
Sliders now hold the mouse position to avoid drag limitations due to screen bounds
When editing a control, the value is now showed next to it and lower bar shows parameter description
Tutorials added on the instruments
Advanced search allowing to quickly access several categories such as instrument, bank, or even preset comments
It is now possible to play the instruments from a computer keyboard in standalone mode
Added keyboard shortcuts to resize the plugins window
New shuffle feature to avoid browsing presets in the same order each time
Reworked playlists workflow, presets are now copied in playlists to avoid unwanted preset modifications
Added β€œnew preset” entry in instruments menu to start a sound from scratch
Reworked audio / MIDI settings window, including standalone BPM parameter
Drop of 32 bits support

Bugfixes
Changing the name of a user preset doesn’t create a copy anymore
No more crashes when selecting ASIO DirectX Full Duplex Driver in standalone on Windows
No more crashes in Juce based hosts when resizing the plugins window
Reduced Fiber Local Storage consumption on Windows

[lunker]

I really don't see a problem with the upgrade price.

There are three new instruments, which Arturia is offering for $99 each -- so $297 for all three.  The upgrade to the new collection is $199.

If you want all three instruments, $199 is certainly a better price than $297.  If you only want two of them, you can pay $198 -- or you can spend an extra $1 to get the entire collection (effectively getting the third instrument for $1).

The only reason to skip the upgrade is if you only want one of the new instruments (pay $99 instead of $199), or if you don't want any of them at all (pay $0).

I guess I am in a fortunate position that my wife lets me spend money on this stuff, so I will definitely be getting V7.

[MajorFubar]

I really don't see a problem with the upgrade price.

Completely-new purchasers who aren't upgrading get the full VC7 collection (24 instruments) for $299 / €299.
People like me who have poured hundreds into buying all previous versions from VC4 onwards are expected to pay $199 / €199 for just the three new instruments.
That doesn't add up even mathematically, let alone ethically.
Even if I had pots of money I still wouldn't be buying it out of principle.
By Christmas it'll be on a $99 / €99 offer until the beginning of January. I'll buy it then.

[lunker]

Yes indeed, the price will drop over time.  Those who have more time than money might choose to wait.  Those with more money than time might buy now.

I don't agree that the discount to existing users should add up to big savings, nor that it is unethical that it doesn't.  Arturia is giving a discount to people who have bought a previous version -- I feel lucky to get that discount.

Neither the auto dealership, nor the petrol/gas station, nor the grocery store that I have been using faithfully for more than a decade ever offer me a discount for being a return customer.  Yes, I know that software is different from material goods ... but still, I am happy with the discount Arturia is offering to existing users.

[artao]

Yeah. Three new instruments for $200 is about $65 per instrument. Individual price is $100 per instrument.
That's a discount of about 35% ... pretty reasonable really, I'd say. (Tho obviously when it drops to $100 for all three, which is almost 65% discount, that's way better.)

[MajorFubar]

Yeah. Three new instruments for $200 is about $65 per instrument. Individual price is $100 per instrument.
That's a discount of about 35% ... pretty reasonable really, I'd say. (Tho obviously when it drops to $100 for all three, which is almost 65% discount, that's way better.)

If you're going to look at it on a price per instrument basis, why do completely new buyers, who can get all 24 instruments for $299, get a better deal than me? As a long-time investor who has updated with every release since V Collection 4, aren't I entitled to a price at least as good as a new customer?

[Jackdaw]

I'm waiting for version 8: 6 synths for 199€...

[fenderchris]

Yeah. Three new instruments for $200 is about $65 per instrument. Individual price is $100 per instrument.
That's a discount of about 35% ... pretty reasonable really, I'd say. (Tho obviously when it drops to $100 for all three, which is almost 65% discount, that's way better.)

If you're going to look at it on a price per instrument basis, why do completely new buyers, who can get all 24 instruments for $299, get a better deal than me? As a long-time investor who has updated with every release since V Collection 4, aren't I entitled to a price at least as good as a new customer?

I'm in the same position as you, and I think you make a good point.

As I'm only interested in the Mellotron I think I'll wait until next sale.

[impulsepp]

I really don't see a problem with the upgrade price.


vegus

[mrjackster]

I ENTIRELY agree. It's absurd. Currently in the UK it is £329 to buy the new complete V7. I have been a user since V4 - have probably paid about £1000 to get up to V6 - and now my 'OFFER' (!!) is €299. Are you sh*tting me?!

It's not an oversight - as they do this every time. it lacks any respect and shows very little value of loyal customers and users.