Ok, this is unexpected, but knowing Roon as a very reliable brand, I have confidence in a good outcome. I and many other lifetime members will soon receive an email confirming that nothing, NEVER anything will change, so I’m not worried. And with a larger company it is easier to bring a Roon Core that has a better price/quality than the current one. Congratulations!
As a Multi Lifer why do they still need your CC Number ?
Annuals are auto deducted at anniversary but there is no further transaction for you ?
1 Like
Theres 'an Apple Music app in the Play Store that runs on my phone ? I admit I haven’t tried it for a while
I jumped onboard with lifetime end of last year just before the price increase.
I don’t regret it, and I’ve been using Roon enough to justify my purchase, but despite the statements from Roon management, I’ve got a bad feeling about this for the future.
This is the announcement of the purchase, this is the moment everyone is smiling and congratulating each other and assuring everything is fine, but once the dust has settled, I doubt anyone can guarantee that a large economic group as Harman is not changing their mind at any time.
I believe it’s not unreasonable to assume that future developments of the platform will be more and more dictated by quick profit rather than sustained growth while listening to the feedback of the subscribers.
Nevertheless, I’m already in for what’s to come, so I might as well try to be hopeful it’s for the best.
Time will tell.
8 Likes
Well, I do think this is bad news on the users’ side.
Being independent from hardware manufacturers was roon’s strength.
But now, it’s not.
No wonder Harman or Samsung will request a feature specific to their products, not to mention adding an extra one that only works with them.
Yeah, time will tell.
Harman probably would buyy MyTeck before they develop a new device
1 Like
Exactly the same thing happened with “free” lifetime yahoo email accounts. The code base was forked along time ago so although there is still technically a free tier for those early adopters, the functionality became frozen which of course encourages subscribers onto paid tiers where the development is. Samsung/Harmon will have the the resources to maintain multiple code forks that is probably not feasible for roon.
1 Like
I wouldn’t wish that upon……….well anyone 
They could buy it but they probably wouldn’t ever receive it.
5 Likes
hopefully one of the things you want to do is sort out all the issues with roons user interface and user experience. these have always been the biggest frustrations using roon software - and simple to fix.
the current ‘feature suggestion’ and voting system doesn’t work. hopefully harmon can lend a UI/UX designer and the roon software will become a joy to use instead of an annoyance
2 Likes
Everything remains rosey in the first year of acquisitions.
It becomes interesting after a year.
It’s all a big unknown, even to the Roon team.
5 Likes
Yeah that’s it.
Like most software with lifetime (which I’ve been shafted a few times…).
I reckon it will be turned into a ‘legacy licence’ (eventually) and then some nonsense about having to most forward with the times and to improve the software and the experience, we are giving you the chance to most to an exciting new way to support the company; subscriptions. To make the process easier we’ll offer x2 free months (or 6 if generous).
I hope it doesn’t happen, and I wish the best for Roon as I’ll be sticking around. But, if I’m burned again. I’m gone.
9 Likes
First of all, congrats to the Roon team for making this deal. Well-deserved. 
As with all major changes something great can come out of it or something not so great.
Looking at how essential Roon has become to my whole music listening experience (I use all aspects of Roon, streaming and local music library integration, Multi room (including ARC for mobile home use), DSP, music encyclopedia, new music dicorvery etc.) and because I am a lifetimer I really hope for something great and at the same time “fear” a little bit for something not so great (because right now I do not see an alternative).
But in the meantime Roon is working great for me and the rest, time will tell.
1 Like
All good things come to an end - just a shame there isn’t really a viable alternative out there today.
Samsung UK is notorious for bad customer service and using its outsourcing model for a heap of different business area’s. I don’t expect the umbrella company to be any different in this mindset. This is why I stick to European brands that value their core customer needs.
I am curious how this story plays out regarding software as a service though … but expect anything Apple eco-system related e.g. iOS, OSX etc gets vastly de-prioritised or canned longer term. The war with Apple and Samsung continues.
I would wager after “Transfer of Business” like with all software vertical acquisitions, all good people leave within 18 months. So I do wonder who carries forward Roon innovations in the future - hopefully not some pen pusher who doesn’t even understand their users or the technology stack. These people generally make poor executive decisions because they don’t understand the basic principles.
Think we should keep an open mind.
Quite possible Roon will stay fairly independent.
As long as the higher ups don’t mess around with the product itself, this could be a good thing.
Roon will appear in many more products and have a more powerful market presence. That could help, for instance, negotiating with the streaming services.
3 Likes
After thinking about this for a while, I wonder if an underlying thought for this acquisition is to get the tech to be able to develop roon to be a more premium Sonos competitor without having to go through the whole R&D process to develop a platform.
Whether it is under the Samsung brand or something else, across the conglomerate they have the hardware production capability, they now have a software platform to power it.
1 Like
It will be interesting to see how many of the Roon founders are still working for Harman/Samsung in a couple of years.
Going back to being an employee is fine for a while but hopefully we will see the Roon guys popping up with something new (again!) in a few years.
3 Likes
That’s unfortunate for many 
15 Likes
Now Roon is no longer an independent company. Harman is owned by Samsung and they are more focus on profit and loss. I don’t know what the future will hold for Roon. As a lifetime membership I really hope this partnership between users and Roon will continue.
True, they have any number of harassment tools in their arsenals and could dry out the lifetimes subscription value over a few years.
1 Like
Yes congrats to the Roon Team. I think the news is good for the consumer and the small team at Roon who have worked hard to grow into a business that is recognised and validated by the market.