who is doing this survey?

the international music software trade association.

http://www.imsta.org/index.php

Thanks Kurt, I've never heard of it but that sounds like a good organization, hopefully helps us all.

Using a free service to run a survey....knuckleheads...about piracy. Where do these people come from?

It's not going to help much, if at all.

The survey neglects the heart of the matter, and it's one that no one can change, because it's a mindset.

The true reason is that people have a sense of entitlement; not only with software, but with music, too.

None of the questions - or choices of answers for the questions, matter in the least.

You won't ever change the minds of those who think that 1's and 0's should be free. They will never equate stealing a physical object with that of using pirated binary code.
They can't touch it, they can't feel it. It's "virtual", and it doesn't exist as something tangible or tactile that they can hold in their hands, put on a shelf, or store in a cabinet.
These people will never see the two things as being one and the same.

The only thing that manufacturers can do, is to continue to make fair trial periods available to potential customers, and protect their product as much as they can.

But they need to be fair to existing clients, too.

If I buy a piece of software, I should be allowed to use that software on two computers. It's not out of the realm of possibility that one computer might die, and a spare laptop or spare computer be drafted into use while a main computer is being repaired, or replaced, and if my computer is beyond repair and needs replaced, I should be able to re-download the software I've already purchased and install it on a new system without having to jump through hoops to do so.
I should also be able to have it on another computer - like a laptop - so that I can take it with me to sessions... this would be no different than an engineer who brings their own 500 Series rack with them, when hired to do sessions at another studio.
If I've legally purchased it, I should be able to use it anywhere I need to, no different than a plumber or an electrician who carries special tools with them to jobs.

I also believe that licenses should be allowed to be transferred and sold at the user's discretion. I don't think I should be able to share software, which implies that I would be able to continue using it after selling a copy to someone else ... but much like selling a guitar, or a microphone... I should be able to sell a license, and do so without much complexity involved.

Here's another thing that I think needs addressing... and that is current customer loyalty.

Like probably many here, I get emails from manufacturers for specials and sales on software, or, these ads will show up on certain related websites as advertisements, that will offer sales and deep discounts for new customers.
The most recent example of this that I've seen is Waves's Pultec EQ Plug. Less than 4 months ago, this plug was almost $200 ( whether it's worth that price or not is for another discussion).
But this week, I'm now seeing it advertised for $49. If I had purchased that plug 3 months ago for $200, and then seen it advertised this month for $49, well, brother, I'd be pissed.
At this point, the manufacturer should offer rebates ( or credits) to those who purchased this plug at the old price. Neglecting current and loyal customers is a slap in their faces, and can turn out to be a fast way to lose those customers.

I don't believe that piracy will ever be completely thwarted. If huge corporations like Citibank and Target can have their systems hacked, then they'll never be able to completely shut down software cracking.
And ... you can't "educate" those with the sense of entitlement. These people will never not feel that way.

I don't claim to have the answers, but a survey as toothless and weak as this one isn't going to provide any new information to the manufacturers that they aren't already very well aware of.
And I'm not against surveys or polls, either. I think they can be a very useful barometer for manufacturers... but they need to be done right.

IMHO of course.

DonnyThompson, post: 434550, member: 46114 wrote: At this point, the manufacturer should offer rebates ( or credits) to those who purchased this plug at the old price. Neglecting current and loyal customers is a slap in their faces, and can turn out to be a fast way to lose those customers.

The same could be said for software developers who expect customers to pay for upgrades after you have purchased the product.

I don't see why such licensing shouldn't apply to absolutely any set of 1' and 0's... whether that's music, a movie, a book... How many times have I bought the White Album or the entirety of the Pink Floyd lineup? Led Zeppelin? The Doors? I'm sure I've purchased at least half a dozen of the same albums time after time, because a record gets a scratch, a cassette tape gets eaten, or a cd gets a scratch.

DonnyThompson, post: 434550, member: 46114 wrote: The true reason is that people have a sense of entitlement; not only with software, but with music, too.

I think its a mindset that is foremost with the current generation who have never had to get in a car or on a bus and drive to the local mall to walk into a store and hand over hard-earned cash to physically purchase their music....for them its just a click away and the evolution and popularity of file sharing networks, especially those that specialise in music downloads is the root cause of that mindset.

"Buy it?....you must be joking...." I guess would be the response from most aged under 30 these days.

DonnyThompson, post: 434550, member: 46114 wrote: They will never equate stealing a physical object with that of using pirated binary code.
They can't touch it, they can't feel it. It's "virtual", and it doesn't exist as something tangible or tactile that they can hold in their hands, put on a shelf, or store in a cabinet.

You hit the nail on the head Donny, since music and software has evolved from the physical to the virtual thanks to digital technology, everything is available online to download....it wasn't too long ago you had to physically purchase your software in the way you purchased your music.

-Now, even when you purchase something like an audio interface, the manufacturers recommend you don't install the driver that comes on the disk included, but you go online and download the latest version from their site, thanks to the speed that things are obsolete in the digital realm today.

Hi Dan Kogwonton ...welcome back ol' mate !

Hey Sean, I see you survived the storm.

Yes, we battened down the hatches as the tornado passed overhead....
Hail stones the size of tennis balls, gale force winds at 220km/h (140mph)
- another beautiful day in paradise...gotta love Sydney !:D

Sean G, post: 434552, member: 49362 wrote: The same could be said for software developers who expect customers to pay for upgrades after you have purchased the product.

For me, it depends on the degree of the upgrade. If said upgrade includes bug fixes, patches, etc., then no way should the customer be expected to pay for fixes that should have been a part of the original release to begin with.
Even if the upgrade includes a few new features, even then I believe that it should be gratis to existing owners... but there's a fine line there.

If the program upgrade includes many new features that have come along as a result of technology growth and discovery, which allow the manufacturer to include these new features, then yes, I think the manufacturer has the right to charge a reasonable fee for the upgrade. After all, we don't expect to be able to trade in our 5 year old car and be able to get a newer model for nothing, right? Developers should be paid for their hard work, their time and their talents.

For example, let's say you mix a song for a client, and the client loves the mix. They pay you, all is good.
Fast forward three years, and the client returns to you, and wants you to remix that song - not because there was anything wrong with the original mix - but because they want another version mixed to reflect the changes in musical styles and mixing trends.
They shouldn't expect you to do that for free, nor should you. By that analogy, I don't think we should expect manufacturers to offer substantially upgraded versions of their software for free. I don't think that we should be charged as much as someone who has never owned the program before, but some reasonable additional cost isn't out of line.

Most manufacturers of audio software do indeed follow this model, and are usually aware of their loyal customers, and are fair to them ( Slate is one of these companies). But, there are a few who will charge the same price for the upgrade as they will for an entire new version for someone who has never a been a customer before ( or maybe even less for these new users), and to me, that's not fair.

IMO, we're back to what you and I discussed last week - about cable TV companies giving deep discounts to new customers, while ignoring current and loyal users. This has happened - as I mentioned in my previous post - with Waves charging $49 for a popular plug that, less than 3 months ago, loyal users were paying $200 for.

IMHO of course.

Sean G, post: 434557, member: 49362 wrote: Yes, we battened down the hatches as the tornado passed overhead....
Hail stones the size of tennis balls, gale force winds at 220km/h (140mph)
- another beautiful day in paradise...gotta love Sydney !:D

Holy smokes those are huge hail stones... There must be an awful lot of damage to homes and vehicles, and more than one concussion victim...

Kogwonton, post: 434570, member: 49434 wrote: Holy smokes those are huge hail stones... There must be an awful lot of damage to homes and vehicles, and more than one concussion victim...

The early estimates were $50 million damage, but I think it will top $100 million...
-And it was mostly confined to one suburb that took the brunt...

I have to agree, you wouldn't want to be hit it the head by one of those huge hailstones...

- it would give new meaning to the term terminal velocity...;)