Value of Lifetime Subscribers to Roon

Yup. I totally agree. :slight_smile:

I am not sure that this is a fair assumption for most people. As an example, In my case I had tried many applications to stream my collection to various devices but none managed to control all of them. On top of that, sound quality and library management were desirable but never fully satisfied by other applications.

When I discovered Roon, nearly 5 years ago, I was amazed to have finally found an application that did everything I needed at the time. I may be a sole voice here but, there was no cost/lifetime analysis, no “what if they go bust next year” or assessment of “value for money” or “Break even point.”
I could afford the lifetime subscription, made the purchase and haven’t regretted that decision.
Subsequent developments have, for me, endorsed my original decision to purchase and I would guess that many other lifetime purchasers share a similar story.

Just my 2 pence worth.

I had seen sooloos at a hifi show and was amazed but knew I could never afford it. I tried roon at launch and after a lot of thought if I could afford it, bought a license 12 days later. Although it made my eyes water it was cheap compared to the turnkey sooloos system and turned some of my assorted collection of 2nd hand components into a glossy controllable music discovery system.

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I echo your thoughts on this @PixelPopper. In 2017 in plunked down my $499 after 2 years of subscribing annually. Given all the money I had put into my system hardware, it was a no-brainer for me, and, in fact, I tend to think of it as part of my system hardware. Is Roon perfect? Of course not, but I have received much more satisfaction from the investment than the occasional frustrations arising from an inherently complex system of music playback.

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I purchased the $700 lifetime because I wanted to future-proof my access to Roon based on my own finances. I had the money when I purchased the lifetime, but I am not sure I will have the means to pay an annual fee in six or so years. Now I don’t have to worry about that. If I have the means to pay an annual subscription after six or so years, I can always subscribe to an annual license for my office or whatever. But then I like to buy my own music and manage my own digital library more than subscribe to a streaming service. If I no longer can afford my streaming subscription, I still have access to all of my music. This makes sense to me financially.

I am really glad that Danny recently claimed the % of Lifetime subscribers at the moment are not detrimental to the future of Roon, and they have the means to control that %. Good for them. Good for me.

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The lifetime subscriptions are also useful to companies selling high end gear as part of the product sales pitch. I’ve had a lifetime subscription coming up on five years. It’s a great product.

Your nieces and nephews are lucky people to have a generous uncle. Cheers

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IIRC, it was always $499 except for brief promotion early on that dropped it $449.

…I was one of the £449 beneficiaries, I got a bargain☺️

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One of the best benefits of my lifetime subscription is that I don’t feel compelled to reassess the value and cost of Roon each year as many annual subscribers likely do. I have to believe that’s also a big benefit to Roon because the success of any potential Roon competitor will depend, in large part, on whether they can sway customers away from Roon. From that perspective, I’m a bit surprised Roon hasn’t offered multi-year subscription discounts. Perhaps it’s simply that there isn’t any serious competition (yet :wink:

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And there probably won’t be, this is such a small niche market, the masses seem to be happy streaming with native apps or using UPnP solutions. But I agree, lifetime means you’re done worrying about it.

Enno gave us a superb interview with David Solomon, Qobuz’ Evangelist Extraordinaire. Enno said, and I quote:

“We settled on the subscription model, because, I love the idea that we have to earn that annual subscription every year, with new features, with new updates, with new… you know, the product has to be improving continuously for us to keep customers.”

So… whatcha gonna do with Lifetime Subscriptions? Time to sink or swim? Or debate this “Subscription Model” in this forum for another year?

Cheers Danny.

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Keep customers? The product also has to do this to gain new customers. And whats the deal with customers pushing Roon to drop lifetime? Why? It’s their decision, and theirs alone. Personally, I’m not interested in a subscription anything, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Options are good.

And, here’s another way to look at it.

Roon charges $120 per year for annual subscriptions. So, based on that, let’s assume their cost is $5 per customer per month (50% gross margins). Also, assume their cost for lifetime members is $4 per month because Roon does not have to deal with annual billings and receipts, etc. So, with a $700 lifetime subscription and a $4 per month cost, Roon can carry lifetime subscribers for 14 1/2 years before they lose money on lifers.

Based on this rough estimate, I think Roon is smart to continue to offer lifetime subscriptions. There are some customers who just do not want, and will not buy, a monthly or annual subscription. Roon just needs to keep the cost of lifetime high enough, relative to annual, so the mix does not threaten their sustainable annual revenue stream.

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@mikeb, not my words. Enno Vandermeer’s words. To be clear, I agree with you (although here I am entering in yet another discussion about Roon’s business model). They can’t tie a Lifetime Subscription to a device that won’t last a Lifetime. Nor should they, imho, continue to be unclear on what is a very simple billing structure. These “we’ll kill it off by the end of this year” hints make me believe that Roon can (finally?) be viable without requiring additional cash from Lifetime Subscriptions. On the other hand, if they stopped making people question whether Roon will be around in 5 years, 'cause it appears they can’t operate on Annual Subscriptions, that would also put these rumors to bed. Personally, I honestly don’t care if they keep it or kill it. I just wish they’d decide one or another, and we could discuss something that’s not our business, like enhancements that will benefit the majority of subscribers. My best to you.

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Big ups / respect / thank you for saying that.

I see no reason why Roon needs to tell us their plans for lifetime subscriptions. They probably don’t even know what their plans are. If you want lifetime, get it. Otherwise, don’t.

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Yep, Danny said as such a few posts up …

Happy lifetime customers are useful in ‘recruiting’ new subscribers.

Through Roon’s referral program, I’ve managed to recruit four new subscribers.

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As presumably rational consumers, why should we be even thinking about what’s best for Roon? If they offer a product (lifetime subscription) that makes sense to you, buy it. If it doesn’t make sense, don’t buy it, choose some other product Roon offers (recurring subscription). But why should we be thinking about which of their products is best for them instead of what’s best for you? I don’t get this at all, but I may be missing something obvious. I often do.

By way of analogy, you go to a bank for a mortgage. They have two products: a 30 year at 3% and a 15 year at 2%. How much time do you spend wondering which will make the bank a higher profit? They offer both products, take the one that makes the most sense to you. Why should you care about the bank any more than they care about you? It’s a business relationship, not a marriage!

In an efficient economy, sellers will offer products that keep them in business and that consumers desire.

What am I missing?

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There are other banks. There are no other Roon’s. Customers want Roon to succeed.

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