Developer loyalty

[Thomas Mavian]

While the expression "customer loyalty" is quite common there is also what I'd like to call "company loyalty", and in this case perhaps "developer loyalty ".

In June 2015 I bought in a sale Nomad Factorys Analog Trackbox for $9.99. A channelstrip. Yesterday I got an email from them telling me they just released version 4 of the Blue Tube Bundle where Analog Trackbox is places.

Ok, time to upgrade i thought, what will it cost me?

Turns out that I'm getting the update for free. The whole bundle that is, a total of 19 plugins. Because I'm a loyal customer. Well, truth be told I have a few others.

Now, sure. I have more compressors and EQs than I'd like to admit and would be totally OK to only getting the Analog Trackbox for free. Nonetheless I find it very generous of them.

I often use their take on the Pultec, just because it is all three at once and it's more convenient using that than for example UAs Pultec which takes up three insert slots. Do they sound the same? I don't care.

Long winding about nothing. Just wanted to share.

Any other developer that you can think of with a similar philosophy on customer loyalty?

[Lawrence]

I think I got the initial version of Omnisphere as an upgrade from Atmosphere and the upgrade from Trilogy to Trilian for free from Spectrasonics, which might be the biggest updates I’ve had from a company.

There have been a lot of others though, generous inexpensive or free updates from other companies.

[Mike Greene]

I think I got the initial version of Omnisphere as an upgrade from Atmosphere and the upgrade from Trilogy to Trilian for free from Spectrasonics, which might be the biggest updates I’ve had from a company.

I think we had to pay for those? At least I did. It was really cheap, though, at $149 for Omnisphere. (I can't find the Trillian email, so I don't remember how much that was.)

[Lawrence]

I think I got the initial version of Omnisphere as an upgrade from Atmosphere and the upgrade from Trilogy to Trilian for free from Spectrasonics, which might be the biggest updates I’ve had from a company.

I think we had to pay for those? At least I did. It was really cheap, though, at $149 for Omnisphere. (I can't find the Trillian email, so I don't remember how much that was.)

Possible. Free or really cheap.

Or maybe they liked me better?

My memory is that the upgrades were free if you had all three instruments (including. Stylus) which I did. On the other hand, my memory is not exactly elephant-ish.

[Guy Rowland]

Any other developer that you can think of with a similar philosophy on customer loyalty?

Good on Nomad!

Arturia have a good line in keeping customers happy. Pigments is now v7 and every update (most being substantial) are free. Upgrades to their collections are often tempting - there is a new one right now for FX collection 6 for 99 euros and I only own a couple of their effects.

[Thomas Mavian]

Any other developer that you can think of with a similar philosophy on customer loyalty?

Good on Nomad!

Arturia have a good line in keeping customers happy. Pigments is now v7 and every update (most being substantial) are free. Upgrades to their collections are often tempting - there is a new one right now for FX collection 6 for 99 euros and I only own a couple of their effects.

Oh yes of course, Pigments! Love that one. Updates are quite frequent as well.

And Universal Audio of course. Even if their "updates" are not so much updates as keeping up with evolving tech, VST3 for example.

Actually, VSL is quite good as well. Adding lyrical legato to the Elite Strings, compressing samples to almost half the size.

There are some that shine brighter than others.I'd leave it at that

[Jaap]

Likewise with UVI and Falcon, they keep updating it with awesome features for free

[Luke]

Alex Wallbank/Cinematic Studio Series shines on this. Yes, it takes a looooong time for updates to drop, but they are substantial and genuinely prolong the useful life span of the libraries. I've often wondered how the model can be sustainable, especially with employees.