I simply don’t believe that the “buy for the moment” approach it’s a wise one, especially in the software industry. Between bugs, marketing bs, features and development there it’s a lot to be expected from a software application along the way. You get what the application has to offer at the moment of purchase, that’s true, but that’s not a mater of being wise, is just the way it is and in most of the cases you don’t have a choice. Wise on the other hand I believe it will be to invest in a software that proves to be easily adaptable and flexible to your actual and, more important, future needs and not on something that gets stuck in the moment of buying, because in the software industry that moment became the past at a very very very fast pace.
How can you buy on the basis of what something might offer? Can you predict the future? Sure you might hope for improvements and new features but what you are buying is the functionality as it stands at the moment of purchase. Especially for software that is relatively new (not to mention niche) in the grand scheme of things.
Well, For Roon to have an independent internet radio database that can, maybe, integrate with libraries etc is a big deal and shows they have plans in the pipeline being worked on. They have a policy of not releasing dates and plans as that will lead to disappointment if not met to the minute.
I am happy to wait for the surprises and Roon has always got better and better.
You do some research, see what other software in the same category has to offer, you study all the previous releases and see from where the software started and where is now and eventually where is heading. See what other people requested from the software and how quick (or if) they responded (especially if such requests are on your list too). And so on. In the end you make an educated call. Roon is not new and is not niche.
Chris, your naivety is a delight! (I really mean that in a good way, I’m not a native English speaker so no ofense intended here).
That is your prerogative. I never buy anything for what “it might” do down the road. I would never buy software that I did not think was worth the asking price in its current state. Why would I do something that inane? If is not worth the asking price now, how do I know it ever will be? Software purchases are not investments. They are an expense and to justify that expense it needs to be worth it at the time of purchase.
Now, I do have high hopes that the Roon software continues to improve. If it does, which it has, my purchase of a lifetime license a couple of years ago becomes an even better decision.
And yet you could do all that and still wouldn’t know what was coming next. Maybe you would have a better guess but it wouldn’t constitute ‘wisdom’ would it?
Both statements are fundamentally incorrect.
Roon is new, relatively speaking, and very niche.
This is just a (narrow) point of view. For a profesional photographer, any related software that he uses it’s an investment (just an example). For me personally a software it’s just a tool that helps me, professionally or personally, and in both cases I see that tool as an investment (regardless of what the investment brings back, money or pleasure).
The end game not necessary, the approach yes. Now, you can act smart and end bad, no doubt about it, still the way you see things can make the difference, even if only for your peace of mind. 
No, it’s the accurate point of view. Software is a tool and tools are an expense. They are a cost of doing business. A professional photographer writes off software tools as expenses.
I may verry well be a fundamentally incorrect guy, not a big deal!
I still believe that a 5 years or so (I sincerly do not know exactly the numbers) software is as old as you can get these days, for a software product.
The software to play music from a computer is around from a very long time and there are a lot of applications to do just that, so were do you see roon as a niche product?
some of the official definitions of investment:
- a thing that is worth buying because it may be profitable or useful in the future.
- an act of devoting time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result.
I believe that my photographer example qualifies for the first one.
No, the software is a cost to the business; there may be an investment in time or people to develop a capability that uses the software.
Regarding Roon, it’s even more clear-cut. We are subscribing to a service not buying a product.
I read it before I posted my reply. Keep digging. 
Ok, my bad. No need to keep digging, I have nothing to prove. You see an expense where I see an investment, I can live with that.
If this is all you think Roon does, then one has to ask the questiin: Do you actually use Roon?
so, where do you see the niche? (sincerely I’m just asking, I don’t argue, I just fail to see this the way you do)
I purchased a lifetime subscription four years ago based on what Roon offered, not what I wanted it to offer. As it happens, Roon has since improved greatly. I was happy then, so I’m even happier now. Is Roon perfect? Of course not. But it’s pretty damned good, and likely to get better. Does it have problems from time to time? Of course, but show me a piece of software or service that doesn’t. Do the problems get resolved? Yes, although understandably it takes longer to fix some than others. Do I want Alexa with my Roon? Hell, no (and I have four Dots in my home).
I agree. Alexa’s pretty rubbish when the TV is on, let alone music. It’s like having the kids back again … you always have to ask three times … Alexa … ALEXA! … ALEXA!!!*