[Ardour-Users] subscription support down, your ideas sought

[John Emmas]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Patrick Shirkey" <pshirkey at boosthardware.com>
Subject: Re: [Ardour-Users] subscription support down, your ideas sought
>
> - Why not put out a press statement that there will be no more public
> releases until x amount has been raised. That works for several projects.
>
> [...]
>
> Make sure there is an accurate counter so people know when the goal
> is getting close and will put in a little extra to bump it over.
>
Ooer.... those strategies could very easily backfile Patrick.  For example,
people at the start of the process might be reluctant to commit themselves
by paying money up front without having the slightest idea about when their
investment would pay off (i.e. when the s/ware will start getting released
again).  One solution might be to restrict releases temporarily (like you
described) except for people who subscribe.  But that's still a risky
strategy because people will think "why should I pay for something now that
everyone else will eventually get for free".

I like Kevin's idea of a splash screen and I'd suggest taking it further....
a nag window that only appears in the pre-built version.  Every time you
perform a certain action (such as creating or opening a new session) you get
nagged about payment.  There are 2 ways around this - 1) build Ardour from
the source, or 2) pay!!

That's got to be worth a try.

John


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Patrick Shirkey" <pshirkey at boosthardware.com>
Cc: <ardour-users at lists.ardour.org>
Sent: 14 May 2008 09:36
Subject: Re: [Ardour-Users] subscription support down, your ideas sought


> John Emmas wrote:
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Davis"
>> <paul at linuxaudiosystems.com>
>> Sent: 13 May 2008 20:04
>> Subject: Re: [Ardour-Users] subscription support down, your ideas sought
>>>
>>> the real goal here is see the support base broaden, not to push harder
>>> into the pockets of those who have already done their part.
>>>
>> I'm not a Mac user so forgive me if I'm either talking rubbish or
>> re-stating
>> an idea that's already been dismissed.  However in my experience, the
>> vast
>> majority of Mac users are non-technical and probably won't want to be
>> building Ardour from source.  I don't mean that as an insult to anyone -
>> just an observation.
>>
>> Given the above, why can't the OS-X binaries be chargeable?  It needn't
>> be a
>> massive amount.  And maybe there could be dispensations for special cases
>> (students / academic institutions etc).  Or maybe the 'previous' version
>> could be considered as 'Ardour lite' (i.e. a 'free to all' version) but
>> the
>> most up-to-date binary is chargeable.  It needn't be unreasonably
>> restrictive.  People could still get the most recent version for free if
>> they build it themselves or if they qualify for one of the dispensations.
>> But if they want all the hard work done by somebody else they have to
>> pay for it.
>>
> Here's some ideas for consideration.
>
> - The above is pretty standard procedure for a lot of apps.
>
> - Why not put out a press statement that there will be no more public
> releases until x amount has been raised. That works for several projects.
>
> Post it to every technical news media site and publication you can think
> of. Send it to your local and regional news papers as they will run it for
> local interest and tech filler. They might even ask you for an interview.
> Make sure the press release is perfectly worded and ready to post verbatim
> as editors are lazy and most will just copy and paste. Mention the amount
> of total users, the target audience, the goals of the project and the
> amount of money currently being donated and people will listen. Make sure
> to include the url for the payment gateway as that is where people will
> go. Have it translated and sent out to the rest of the world. It doesn't
> matter who you send it to the point is getting it printed/posted.
>
> - Put a big bold statement on the website saying this is happening until
> further notice. Make sure there is an accurate counter so people know when
> the goal is getting close and will put in a little extra to bump it over.
>
> - Get everyone on the list who has a blog post the link.
>
> - If the content is well written and available in a few languages then you
> won't have to do much else than put it up on the site and send out a
> message here. There are others who will post it to every media outlet they
> can think of.
>
> - Make sure the payment gateway is useable by everyone. Consider getting a
> visa processing account setup with one of the many companies that can host
> it these days. Paypal is one option but not the only way to pay. Provide
> options for google cart,  visa, mastercard, etc...
>
> - I second the subscribe links in the help menu and a more forward note in
> the splash screen telling people how many users download and how much
> disparity there is for donations. Especially for first time users.
>
> - Be forward about the need for cash. It does not mean you have sold out.
> Look at what Soma fm does. They run announcements every hour or so. It's
> acceptable because they don't have any ads and the announcements are non
> invasive and tastefully presented.
>
>
>
>
> Cheers.
>
>
>
> -- 
> Patrick Shirkey
> Boost Hardware Ltd.
>
>
>
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