Jim H.,
You may find this post surprising given my past criticism of JRiver. A question, 4 points, and a salutation:
Is it just my imagination or did the license change recently from $25 for any use to free for 30 days, then slowed down/stipped down version so that you--effectively--have to buy after 30 days? (I say effectively because after you have sunk all the time in to learning the features, categorizing your music, getting used to burning a higher speed, etc., you have to be an idiot not to upgrade to the Plus features.)
1. My objection which I raised previously here was principally that I did not think people would test MJ if they had to pay for it out of the blocks under the flat cough up your $25 plan or else. I thought you were all "drinking your own bathwater" or stronger words to that effect. I pretty much figured that people would pretty much go the MM route (particularly since they are at $20 and have been running sales at $15 for MM 7.2).
[Indeed, I choose the somewhat scathing nickname Jaundiced Eye from the phrase in legal cases "jaundiced eye and scowling mien" that is used to describe the visage of a bankruptcy trustee applies in reviewing past decisions of the bankrupt company's management. I had no confidence at all that under the "cough up $25 scheme or else" that JRiver would expand its base and stay in business.]
If you changed the initial licence to try it for 30 day and then your the vehicle will slow down/and things will fall off, my hat is off to you. Having the wheels basically fall off the software after 30 days was precisely what I suggested. I will start composing my flowing 8.0 review for CNET. I like 8.0. If you are going to stick with the try/buy licensing scheme, I will stick with you.
2. 8.0 as released is pretty tight. I would argue that the choice between MJ and MM is more like the choice between a tightly-engineered Japanese car and a Chevy. They both pretty much will get you down the road, but the better-engineered product is more fun to drive.
4. I suggest several other licensing ideas:
a. I do not feel as strongly about it as I did imposing the try for 30-days and then the vehicle slows way down scheme. You could offer a special as follows: Those that buy a license to 8.0 before September 30, 2002, or some other date, would get a license thru 9.x. That incents your existing, loyal core to send you $25 because they are basically buying the right to get the next version. It would also give you a marketing edge over MM: Sure you can get MM 7.2 for $20 bucks for the next several months, but for $25 you get the MJ versions 8.0 thru 9.x, which is the reasonably foreseeable future. And, like I say, I think many people among your loyal core who bought 7.x licenses, might send you $25 if they knew they could get use thru 9.x.
b. You could later play with this 4.a. concept by changing the pricepoint at which you would get rights to version to $30.
c. Consider matching MM on the higher end of its license: $40 for all future versions (matching MM's price on the higher end).
Shoot, even I would do the $40 for all future versions of the software, and I am cheap and have been among your harshest critics. But after you start using jukeboxes, you learn that the investment in this software category is not so much $$ on the user side as time. And wouldn't the cash of a slug of people paying $40 for all future versions help JRiver in the near term? Up to you, obviously, as the creators. Just a suggestion.
My thesis has been that this software category for newbies is all pretty much alike, but that it is sticky because you have to invest a chunk of time to learn features and get used to the platform. After you sink that time, you don't want to switch, really. If you give some people comfort that their investment of time will not be jerked from under them (some sense that they can get either all future versions of the sw or versions for the foreseeable future), I think you will reap divdidends.
These schemes are not mutually exclusive, obviously. You could continue the price at $25 after 30 days for MJ-Plus, $25 through some date for versions 8x and 9x, and $40 for all future versions.
(i)Get new people in the door at $25 after 30 days,
(i) early adopters--say before Sept. 30, 2002 while you concurrently have a marketing push for MJ 8.0--would get 8.0 thru 9.x,
(iii)The hardcores who know that they will know that as a practical matter they will not switch will send you $40.
Salutation:
I am back to driving the more well-engineered product. Thanks for changing the initial license at least. Congratulations to the MJ development team for putting some "fun to drive" into this software category!
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Topic: License Details and Ideas (Read 978 times)