Upcoming change to Roon subscription prices (January 1st, 2023)

What’s the chance of Roon removing Lifetime subscription for a certain version?

Example. Version 4.0 is a MAJOR update, and it would require a new subscription, so we’re killing lifetime with version 4.0. Once version 5 is released, you’d ask to take out a new subscription (yearly/monthly).

The answer has always been that lifetime is lifetime.

And, yet… We hear it all the time with it being killed off with software. Lifetime isn’t lifetime, it never has and never will be. The amount of times I’ve seen it happen and been burned myself.

Zero.

We just released 2.0 and it kept working for lifetimers.

You’ve heard it from me. If you don’t want to believe me, that’s fine, but don’t go spreading misinformation on our forum.

From the horse’s mouth: An original Roon “lifetime” license purchaser will always get what a Roon annual/monthly purchaser would get, for no additional cost. Neigh.

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It’s interesting that some - possibly most - of the angst expressed here is caused by the lifetime option. If the options were simply monthly or yearly, people might be annoyed by the increase but they wouldn’t have to wrestle with the complexity of the choices and the consequences of choosing (nor not choosing) lifetime versus the alternatives. I’m a lifetime subscriber but I wonder why this option is continuing to be offered considering Roon’s ambivalence and the sense that it’s contributing to the issues here, not helping with them.

Roon is as essential for me as any other piece of music gear or any other recurring service I pay for. It’s a fascinatingly complex thing - as a software and services guy for 30+ years, I’m constantly amazed at how much tech there is in Roon. Cores on various runtimes, apps across platforms, integration with Sonos/Linn/etc., RAAT, DSP, really robust database management including backup / restore, extensions, streaming service integration, library management, in-place update, and more. Plus, in my opinion, a uniquely gorgeous user experience with a coherent design language across fontography, layout, controls. I feel like I get my money’s worth and even though my lifetime sub insulates me from this price increase, I understand it.

The only thing I’d ask for is an increased commitment to quality. The Linn and ROCK issues this week are an example. Even though the bits that can break are running on infrastructural components hosted in people’s homes, Roon should still operate as a “service” with a reasonable number of 9’s in uptime. It can’t go “out” for a week or more as a result of an update. I hope you folks think about this as you go forward - you have scale issues and you’ve made your lives really tough by being so generous in your support of platforms and runtimes. It’s super tough to be “dial tone” when your product is as expansive as Roon and you choose to sim-ship everything. Minimally, you’d benefit from an increase in support activity on this forum as well as a better model for communication about issues and incidents. That would be a helpful start.

In any case, I do love the product and I’m grateful for it - it’s worth every penny I paid and I’m glad to see you making changes to increase the likelihood that you’ll be successful and stick around for a very long time.

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A post was merged into an existing topic: Leaving Roon after price increase

I understood that Roon’s preference is that we do not purchase a lifetime subscription: an earlier explanation was that the company needs to live from recurring revenue and lifetime subscription was only there to generate a good cash position at the start of this adventure.

As a relatively long time supporter, paying annual subscription fees since 2017, I would like to understand if and how Roon rewards loyalty.

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Took the opportunity to go lifetime US$ 699. Been on subscription for 3 years now and hope I can break even before I expire…

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Nicely worded. :+1:

I justified a lifetime license by viewing this as an asset I would gift as part of my last will/testament to my offspring. They and their children’s children for generations to come will have a superior audio experience!

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A post was merged into an existing topic: Leaving Roon after price increase

I am pretty sure Roon is for one lifetime not several lifetimes. :wink:

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This sounds like you just invested in a mansion.

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A post was merged into an existing topic: Leaving Roon after price increase

It should be clear that it is the lifetime of the product. Anything else is stupid. I doubt Roon would sue you if you included your password of Roon in the will for your kids to use it. Roon wouldn’t even care. It is Roons lifetime we are talking about.

No, it isn’t. This has been addressed before. Lifetime only applies to the original license holder.

It isn’t like a lifetime guarantee on something that one has purchased. One doesn’t purchase Roon, i.e. the software. One purchases the right to use the software.

One can’t, legally, pass on a lifetime license, but who’s to know?

I‘m sorry, this was an automatic translation. I meant: I decided against a lifetime licence.

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Yes, but. Roon and Succession

You get so defensive in these forums.

I never said I don’t believe you. I do believe you. So thank you for the reassurance.

(And, as much as I love your directness/bluntness towards people, you don’t handle it well when you receive it)

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There are other threads about that. I bought Audirvana Studio to cover internet outages.