If you’re a regular here on the blog, you probably caught my post a couple of weeks ago called “Why Adobe was right to do with a subscription model” (if you missed it, here’s the link). I used as an example something I was experiencing outside of the Adobe world, in my music production.
In short, I have a home recording studio, based around the popular Logic Pro X digital audio workstation software from Apple. There’s another piece of software I need to be able to isolate the lead vocal tracks from the songs I want to recreate in my studio. However, as I shockingly found out that software costs $1,200. This is just my hobby. There’s no way I could justify spending $1,200 for this software, which is actually designed for professionals (ya know, like Photoshop, which is designed for image editing professionals). Anyway, what I wished in that post was that the company would offer a subscription model that would allow me to use this professional-level audio software but without the professional-level price (like Adobe does for Lightroom and Photoshop, which was the point of my whole article).
Here’s the punch line
Sadly, they do not offer a subscription option (I searched their site up and down). However, when I shared the story on Facebook one of my followers there asked me in the comments if I subscribe to “Splice Audio,” (an online subscription service for music producers, and as luck would have it I already was a subscriber). Anyway, he let me know that there is a Splice membership level which includes full use of that very software I needed.
I raced over to the site – upgraded my account to a $15.99 a month plan (you can cancel anytime or just pause your membership), and 15 minutes later, I was working on my songs and absolutely loving it! (the software, Izotope RX 7 Standard, is just incredible!).
They offered a 3-day free trial — I could have joined, isolated, and exported all the lead vocals from the list of songs I had been compiling — all on day one, and then canceled my subscription before they ever even charged my card. But when people do stuff like that, it doesn’t help software companies stay in business, and doesn’t keep the engineering genius’ that come up with this technology employed [or feed their families]. It keeps companies from making amazing software like Izotope RX 7 in the first place), so I’m happy to pay even though I already have converted the songs I need.
Anyway, my thanks to my Facebook follower Aaron OTT who is going to get a signed copy of my latest book (on press now), as my way of saying thanks. It made my whole month. :)
Well, there ya have the rest of the story.
I’m Getting blasted on Social Media
Last week on The Grid I thought it would be cute to order a custom KelbyOne Mask and wear it at the beginning of the show. I wear a mask all the time when I come in to the office, except when the cameras are rolling, and at that point, everyone is at least 10+-feet from me and 10+ feet from each other (we’re serious about our social distancing). Anyway, after I wore it for a minute at the beginning of the show, people watching starting asking where they could get a KelbyOne mask for themselves.
When I got home, people were texting and emailing me about where they could order one, but mine was a one-off (it cost me, with shipping, around $20). So, I text’d Erik Kuna (who maintains our Zazzle online swag store for KelbyOne members so they can buy KelbyOne t-shirts, mugs, etc.), and asked him if they offer masks, and if so could we make one available? About 20 minutes later, Erik emails me that it’s up and running. How cool is that — people were asking for it, and in 20 minutes Erik got it in the store. You gotta love the Internet.
However, when I posted the news on Facebook, I got hammered in the comments. People couldn’t wait to tell me how greedy I am, how they don’t trust me anymore, how I’m profiting from the pandemic, and on and on. Essentially now I’m a bad person, our company is terrible, etc. and so on. A lot of people complained that the price was ridiculously high, which just proved we were ripping people off.
It might be helpful to know: (1) we don’t set the price. The price is set automatically by Zazzle (the company that creates and fulfills these orders). and I think they charged around $15.95 each for the masks. (2) 100% of the profits from this mask and every KelbyOne t-shirt, hat, jacket, sweater, etc., we sell goes to support the Springs of Hope orphanage in Nakuru, Kenya. Always has.
I didn’t try to push these masks on anyone; I’m not “hawking” them. I made them available for the people that asked for them. We do it for our community, we do it the Springs of Hope, and we do it for fun, and let me tell you, it’s been a lot of fun for me lately. Ugh. You gotta love the Internet. ;-)
I don’t want to leave you on a crappy note, so…
Want a surprisingly good animated comedy/action movie to watch one night this week? On Saturday we watched, “Spies in Disguise” featuring the voice-over work of Will Smith, Rachel Brosnahan (Ms. Maisel), and even DJ Kahlid (among others). Way better than you’d think, and Will Smith is…totally Will Smith (I love Will, so I guess I was pre-disposed to like it). It’s like James Bond meets the Men in Black. It’s streaming on Apple TV and a bunch of other places. If you watch it, let me know what you think. Here’s the trailer (below).
Let’s have a great week everybody. Stay safe, watch a funny movie, look out for each other; love your neighbor, and I wish you all good health.
-Scott
