Mediamonkey 5?

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mattiasNYC
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed May 23, 2007 11:12 pm

Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by mattiasNYC »

dmcritchie wrote: Tue Jun 04, 2019 1:17 pm As a long-time lifetime user of MMW, I don't understand the user's complaint. As Lowlander stated, MMW is regularly updated. So it doesn't bother me that the major version called MMW 5 will come a decade after MMW 4 first came out. Improvements and of course bug fixes are added to MMW 4 regularly, and I don't have any grounds for complaint, contrary to the unhappy user's assumption.

Very good product, and well supported.

Thanks,
Dennis
Ok, well since you don't understand the complaint I guess I'll spell it out for you:

Over the course of this decade before v5 comes out, what's the difference in user experience between you and someone who didn't buy a lifetime license? The answer is the other person paid less.

So you can be happy about v4 being regularly updated, and so can the person who didn't buy the lifetime license. There's no difference there. The only difference is you paid money up front for something that won't be realized for years and years despite "promises" whereas the other person didn't.
mattiasNYC
Posts: 16
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Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by mattiasNYC »

dtsig wrote: Tue Jun 04, 2019 5:05 pm I agree .. i bought a lifetime mainly as support for the MM crew. MM4 has been updated for as long as I have had it and when 5 comes out it will be a break having bought the lifetime license.
And it would have been "nicer" and more "honest" (please note the "") to have simply provided either a "donate" button for users like you and others to donate to future development without any 'strings attached', or made the next version a GoFundMe project. Those options would have been more "up front" in my opinion.
rivorson
Posts: 594
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Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by rivorson »

mattiasNYC wrote: Sat Jun 08, 2019 10:44 am The difference being that the companies that I support and have invested in by buying their products don't take close to a decade to release their new version, and once they announce a new version they don't take even over a year to get that out. I suppose we have different expectations on what is reasonable here.
Would you be happier if there were major releases every year, forcing regular licences to expire frequently? Maybe we could have MMW2017, MMW2018, MMW2019, MMW2020, each forcing you to buy a new licence even though very little has changed.
Or adopt Google Chrome's approach (v75 in 10 years) and say that every little bug fix is a major version and therefore the old licence doesn't cover the new version.

Ventis has been most reasonable in making the V4 license last so long so that users don't have to pay extra, but the benefit of the lifetime license is in the name; it lasts a lifetime. Even though MM4 has lasted nearly 8 years now, the lifetime license will still cover you for the next 20+ years. Compare that to the SaaS model being adopted by Microsoft, Adobe, and many other companies where you have to pay every month just to keep using the software that you already have.
With MediaMonkey if you have a V4 licence and don't want to buy the V5 licence then you can still use MM4 forever. With MS Office365 if you stop paying then you lose access to the software.

mattiasNYC wrote: Sat Jun 08, 2019 10:50 am And it would have been "nicer" and more "honest" (please note the "") to have simply provided either a "donate" button for users like you and others to donate to future development without any 'strings attached', or made the next version a GoFundMe project. Those options would have been more "up front" in my opinion.
GoFundMe didn't even exist until at least 7 years after Ventis started selling lifetime licenses.
dtsig
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Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by dtsig »

Well said.
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rivorson
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Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by rivorson »

Honestly, I understand the appeal of paying as little as possible as a consumer. I want to make my money stretch as far as it can just the same as anyone else.

Ventis has been very good in stretching the value of the MM4 license to last so long. Maybe the MM5 license will last even longer, or maybe an unexpected change in the way that we consume media will force an early switch to MM6.

If you think you might switch to different software in the next few years then a single version license is probably the correct choice for you. Or maybe you have a Spotify/Deezer/Tidal subscription and you won't be interested in owning your own music in two years.
dmcritchie
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2013 11:02 am

Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by dmcritchie »

If you think you might switch to different software in the next few years then a single version license is probably the correct choice for you.
Yes, just so. I remember when I decided to purchase the lifetime license that I had decided to hitch my wagon to MM and not look back. I had looked at other contenders, found MM to be the best for me at the time (in part because of syncing with MMA), and didn't want to have to move my collection to another product in the future.

So even though I didn't know when the lifetime license would pay off, I viewed at as support for the product team during an active growth and development period, and hoped it would help in a small way ensure that the product would continue to be around for as long as I would be. :-)

Dennis
mattiasNYC
Posts: 16
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Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by mattiasNYC »

rivorson wrote: Sat Jun 08, 2019 6:50 pm
mattiasNYC wrote: Sat Jun 08, 2019 10:44 am The difference being that the companies that I support and have invested in by buying their products don't take close to a decade to release their new version, and once they announce a new version they don't take even over a year to get that out. I suppose we have different expectations on what is reasonable here.
Would you be happier if there were major releases every year, forcing regular licences to expire frequently? Maybe we could have MMW2017, MMW2018, MMW2019, MMW2020, each forcing you to buy a new licence even though very little has changed.
Nobody is forced to upgrade with normal software companies. You buy a license, it is perpetual for the version you are on. If a new version comes out in 6 months or 6 years makes no difference to that license, it's still valid and there's no "force" to upgrade, just an option.
rivorson wrote: Sat Jun 08, 2019 6:50 pmOr adopt Google Chrome's approach (v75 in 10 years) and say that every little bug fix is a major version and therefore the old licence doesn't cover the new version.
So in your view it's either one or the other? That's a very limited view of how things work.

Like I said, the companies that I support and have invested in provide me with updates every 12-18 months. When the new ones are release they contain major feature upgrades. I'm not forced to upgrade, I can do so by choice. These companies typically also offer a grace period for those who bought the previous version close to the release of the new one, as well as offer discounts for upgrades as opposed to new purchases.

Further more any company with a good reputation will support the current and previous version with bug fixes for some reasonable amount of time, which has been my experience. There are exceptions, but they're really tarnishing the reputation of the company and they do their best to avoid that.

So it's not black or white. There's a better way of doing this.
rivorson wrote: Sat Jun 08, 2019 6:50 pmVentis has been most reasonable in making the V4 license last so long so that users don't have to pay extra, but the benefit of the lifetime license is in the name; it lasts a lifetime. Even though MM4 has lasted nearly 8 years now, the lifetime license will still cover you for the next 20+ years.
You're not paying attention it seems. The issue isn't with the concept of a lifetime license, it's with the long time before a new release. Who cares one bit if you get a lifetime license that lasts for 20+ years if the next release is in 20 years? It's not even about the money at that point.
rivorson wrote: Sat Jun 08, 2019 6:50 pm
mattiasNYC wrote: Sat Jun 08, 2019 10:50 am And it would have been "nicer" and more "honest" (please note the "") to have simply provided either a "donate" button for users like you and others to donate to future development without any 'strings attached', or made the next version a GoFundMe project. Those options would have been more "up front" in my opinion.
GoFundMe didn't even exist until at least 7 years after Ventis started selling lifetime licenses.
So?

Now it exists. Donating was a possible option long before GoFundMe. Don't get hung up on one mechanism for donation. It's about the principle.
dmcritchie
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2013 11:02 am

Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by dmcritchie »

Well, I don't think anyone will convince anyone else as to whether the Ventis licensing approach and release/upgrade schedule is satisfactory. Some of us are happy with it, and clearly @mattiasNYC is not.

IMHO, there is no right or wrong here. I've never yet found a business that can satisfy *all* its customers. And for some, this is probably not the right product.
dtsig
Posts: 3588
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 6:34 pm

Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by dtsig »

dmcritchie wrote: Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:41 pm Well, I don't think anyone will convince anyone else as to whether the Ventis licensing approach and release/upgrade schedule is satisfactory. Some of us are happy with it, and clearly @mattiasNYC is not.

IMHO, there is no right or wrong here. I've never yet found a business that can satisfy *all* its customers. And for some, this is probably not the right product.
Agreed.
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Skafan

Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by Skafan »

MM is hands down THE BEST music manager I have ever used! I have a lifetime license (SINCE MM3) and could care less about the opportunity lost for purchasing it. In the age of Spotify and all... I am just glad that MM allows ME to control, OWN and sync ,my music! THANKS MM TEAM!
Frankie W

Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by Frankie W »

1) it is refreshing to use a piece of software that doesn't change every 6 month to a year, requiring additional learning.
2) it is great dealing with a solid company, not a fly-by-night operation or one that keeps getting bought up.
3) Ventis is doing a great job integrating MM with MMA.
4) they are doing a great job of continually improving both softwares. Many companies stop developing their software any further than perhaps ironing out bugs.
5) I am happy with my lifetime membership, costs and membership will only keep going up.
dtsig
Posts: 3588
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 6:34 pm

Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by dtsig »

Frankie W wrote: Sun Oct 20, 2019 3:13 pm 1) it is refreshing to use a piece of software that doesn't change every 6 month to a year, requiring additional learning.
2) it is great dealing with a solid company, not a fly-by-night operation or one that keeps getting bought up.
3) Ventis is doing a great job integrating MM with MMA.
4) they are doing a great job of continually improving both softwares. Many companies stop developing their software any further than perhaps ironing out bugs.
5) I am happy with my lifetime membership, costs and membership will only keep going up.
Well said
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mattiasNYC
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Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by mattiasNYC »

Frankie W wrote: Sun Oct 20, 2019 3:13 pm 1) it is refreshing to use a piece of software that doesn't change every 6 month to a year, requiring additional learning.
I think you meant "every 6 years to a decade".
Oldngrumpy
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Nov 30, 2019 12:39 pm

Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by Oldngrumpy »

I have been a lifetime holder since MM2, i did not buy the license expecting more than maybe an extension on to MM3 but here we are down the line with MM4.
MM4 which even though has been the "current version" for many years and yes i do wait with everyone else for the official release of MM5 (which has also been in Beta for along time but i would rather have that than a bugfest, which alot of other devs seem to think is acceptable practice.) and guess what for my initial investment and belief in the future of MM i will get the the full version of that on release of MM5 in return!
However MM since the day i started using it, has organised my music and has done it extremly well and still does today with MM4, i'm i unhappy still using MM4? ...... Hell no! it has been kept updated regularly and that is all i ask of it, do i care that it's not MM20? ....get a life! because thats what MM4 allows me to have by saving me alot of time maintaining my large music base.

@mattiasNYC
MM does have a very usable free version so it would beg the question using your logic, to why would you get even a gold license? ...for most of us users it would be to show that we appreciate the hard work the devs put into the fine piece of software! thats why!
I can also see you are from the "Land of the Free", well if you are unhappy with the developers timescale for MM5 and subsequent updates then you are always "Free" to use something else ....or write your own software if you think you can do it any quicker! Nobody is forcing you to use this "in your opinion" outdated software!!
Whether we want to use a free license or buy a gold or a lifetime that is our choice, but nobody is forcing you to even use the software if you are that concerned about what you get in value for a lifetime license, for me i have already had my money's worth at this date and anything more would be a blessing.

For myself i thank the developers for their continuing dedication to this brilliant software and to all the other MM users in this forum to which i have kept track of but never until now felt the need to comment on!
Grumps
mattiasNYC
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed May 23, 2007 11:12 pm

Re: Mediamonkey 5?

Post by mattiasNYC »

Oldngrumpy wrote: Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:29 pmdo i care that it's not MM20? ....get a life! because thats what MM4 allows me to have by saving me alot of time maintaining my large music base.
I don't think anybody disagrees with the above, and it isn't addressing the point(s) I made.
Oldngrumpy wrote: Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:29 pm@mattiasNYC
MM does have a very usable free version so it would beg the question using your logic, to why would you get even a gold license? ...for most of us users it would be to show that we appreciate the hard work the devs put into the fine piece of software! thats why!
Dude, that doesn't make any logical sense. The free version by definition lacks features that the gold version contains. Why buy "gold"? Because of those features. Exactly the same reason someone like me would pay for any future upgrade if it contains new features that I want.

As for "support": If it's all this obvious then as I said before "donations" are a thing. No reason to not go down that path for a company like this. I'm all for it.
Oldngrumpy wrote: Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:29 pm I can also see you are from the "Land of the Free", well if you are unhappy with the developers timescale for MM5 and subsequent updates then you are always "Free" to use something else ....or write your own software if you think you can do it any quicker! Nobody is forcing you to use this "in your opinion" outdated software!!
When did I opine that this is "outdated software"??? When did I write that?

If you're going to attribute views to me please make sure they're accurate.
Oldngrumpy wrote: Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:29 pmWhether we want to use a free license or buy a gold or a lifetime that is our choice, but nobody is forcing you to even use the software if you are that concerned about what you get in value for a lifetime license, for me i have already had my money's worth at this date and anything more would be a blessing.

For myself i thank the developers for their continuing dedication to this brilliant software and to all the other MM users in this forum to which i have kept track of but never until now felt the need to comment on!
Grumps
Ok, "good for you".
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