Suggestion: Paid Premium Firmware Updates

I've been a long time lurker on this forum, whose MPC experience dates back to the MPC 2000 XL days.

After recently re-watching some tutorials on the Akai Force , I think Akai should offer a free and premium firmware update for MPC Live/X/One users.

I enjoy free updates, but Akai is still a business and free updates forever is not a good financial business model. I'm used to paying for updates for Cubase and many DAWs have a similar pricing model. I don't think users should ever have to pay for bug fixes, but I appreciate that developing and implementing new features is often costly for companies.

I would pay a reasonable update fee for my MPC Live to have "premium" features that the Force has (like the linear sequencer/arranger and mixer). I would also do the same for content and plugins.

I know my view may not be popular but at least it could open the door to getting features on our machines that may otherwise never be implemented. Akai would be incentivized to add them.

Just my 2 cents. What do you think? Assuming the updates are stable (and implemented well), would you pay a reasonable fee for a premium firmware update, that has more features than a regular free update?

ha ha no

No premium system updates, worst move they could ever make.
Only premium plugins, keygroups or sample packs, these are ok.

I would pay a reasonable price for some additional instrument plugins, let's say a B3 organ, a convincing FM synth or a soft modular.

I would also pay for some additional functionalities, but I don't think it's viable since each one of us would ask for different things

IE: For some people, disk streaming is super important. For me, it would be having audio tracks in song mode... Others will ask for a pizza heater...

Anyway, I as well think having paid upgrades in the OS is a bad move, as some say.

Offering a chargeable major version upgrade for the firmware is a possibility, they did it before for MPC Software 2.0, most people assume they'll do it for '3.0'.This is akin to the upgrade paths on most major DAWs. I don't think anyone thinks too hard about having to pay to upgrade from Ableton 10 to 11. It seems reasonable for Akai to do this, everyone else does, I'm not sure why firmware updates always should be free when major upgrades are always charged for in the computer software world.

However, having two separate firmwares, one free and one premium is a really bad idea and sounds like a nightmare to administer and support. No way that would happen IMO.

Offering optional extras is the other way to generate money - expansions, plugins, presets etc. Currently they seem happy with this model ATM, I think it works really well for them. I also imagine a world where eventually much of the missing features in the MPC firmware could be handled by optional plugins from a plugin store. For example, people who want a more advanced sampler for keygroups etc could purchase the 'AIR Kontakt' plugin.

If AKAI ever started pulling that crap then I'd have absolutely no moral issue doing a specific thing...

This runs on linux, it would be very easy to crack. I would never pay for bug fixes, I already paid AKAI for the hardware.

Expansions? Optional plugins? Sure, paying for core OS functions like re-ordering tracks or a tempo track? Absolutely not.

mpc_fan_2022 wrote:If AKAI ever started pulling that crap then I'd have absolutely no moral issue doing a specific thing...

What crap would that be? Running a business? How is it any different to Ableton Live? You pay for major upgrades, you buy Live packs, plugins, MIDI files, expansions etc.

This attitude really puzzles me, especially when Akai have given so many updates and plugins for free these past few years. It is inevitable that they will consider charging for a major firmware upgrade, especially for people still running 5 year old hardware.

MPC-Tutor wrote:

mpc_fan_2022 wrote:If AKAI ever started pulling that crap then I'd have absolutely no moral issue doing a specific thing...

What crap would that be? Running a business? How is it any different to Ableton Live? You pay for major upgrades, you buy Live packs, plugins, MIDI files, expansions etc.

This attitude really puzzles me, especially when Akai have given so many updates and plugins for free these past few years.

Imagine buying a MPC, only to find out that you have to pay an extra $200 just to re-order tracks. The only business I care about is mine.

This thread is a strawman anyway. Nothing would guarantee that paid updates would lead to more regular updates and AKAI being more attentive to feature requests. Zip. For instance, Waldorf pull that stuff with the Blofield, the paid update corrected none of the bugs on the original device.

Imagine buying a MPC, only to find out that you have to pay an extra $200 just to re-order tracks. The only business I care about is mine.

It is what it is. You bought it, tried it and could have returned it if you didn't like the features. Holding some grudge about a feature that was never there and have never been promised seems unusual.

Considering all the features they've given us for free, imagine what kind of stuff would come with a paid upgrade.

MPC-Tutor wrote:It is what it is. You bought it, you tried it out, you could have returned it if you didn't like the features. Holding some grudge about a feature that was never there and have never been promised seems unusual.

Considering all the features they've given us for free, imagine what kind of stuff would come with a paid upgrade.

It's your website, I'm not going to antagonize you. However, here you have people talking about running Force OS on the MPC, which I'm sure violates AKAI licensing somehow. People would be running paid update for free in no time.

All the licensing schemes have a cost, software protection has a cost and can hinder hardware performances, as seen with Denuvo anti-crack in AAA videogames. The return on investment would be marginal for AKAI and would certainly not pay for an extra developer's salary by US rates.

All that business model has a cost. Why do you think AKAI started the free MPC Beats? I'm sure AKAI devs would rather sell people hardware, standalone or controllers, and expansions rather than managing that sort of stuff. Ilok licensing (already cracked) costs them money, and I'm sure whatever challenge-response scheme they'd implement on hardware would be patent encumbered.

To think that paid updates for hardware would lead to more regular updates is a fallacy at best.

Someone please shoot the op

Dont encourage subscription/paid for features. Damn! We spend enough money on the hardware already that (and this applies to EVERY manufacturer) is always buggy, the consumer has become the tester.

Anyone moaning about missing features that 'this or the other bit of hardware' can do ..... you should of checked before buying, I download and read the manual for EVERY piece of kit I buy before purchasing so I know what it does and doesn't do on advance.

I would gladly pay 20$ a year if that means they hire more peeps to do the bug fixing and adding a few basic features along the line.

The fact you feel the need to come on a MPC Forum speaking about how you would pay extra for Specific Features or Updates pisses me off....

They should be in the software already...
You just want to throw money at them?
Paying them 20.00 isnt going to make them work any faster, they are just going to take your money and still make you wait you stupid fool!

I swear.... The shit that comes from people....

Just request and say.... I wish the MPC Software would do this or do that.
These garbage ass companies will take your money no problem. Just send it over to them....

AKAI's business model is complete garbage. The MPC line is nothing like it was in the past. I already on and off think about selling my MPCX since I've gotten the S2400, amongst a handful of other samplers that sound better than it. If they pull BS like this I'm out... If its just one update... maybe.... but if they start pulling some shit, I'll sell it in a heartbeat. I can make beats on almost anything... The MPC is nice, but I'm not sure it's an absolute need.

Thanks for the replies.

To be clear, I'm not interested in or suggesting anyone just throwing money away. What sense is that?

It's interesting how many assumptions are made about my proposal. I won't answer all criticisms, but you will notice I specifically said NO to paying for bug fixes.

Regarding a premium OS, I am not talking a la carte for the OS. That would be crazy because of all the variations that would exist. However, many (most) companies selling software have tiers of products available for consumers. So the premium would just have more features built into (more like unlocked in) the OS. So there would be the free/regular version and the premium version with more features. It happens all the time with software, and the OS is software.

Product differentiation happens from cars to computers (in terms of giving users who want more features the chance to pay extra for them, while hopefully making those premium features ones the company can manage properly). The MPC is hardware + software (firmware). After someone buys an MPC, Akai has no ongoing duty to update the firmware beyond fixing the bugs for free! They can let us complain forever and have no duty to do updates, although that would be imprudent. Given that, allowing users a chance to further product differentiate (via firmware) is not immoral, although they would have to consider the financial implications of such.

The features bundled n the premium OS, would have to be determined. If they aren't good enough then the market will let them know. I only mentioned two from the Force, which seem like they may never come to the MPC product line.

I never said it would lead to more updates. Not sure where that idea came from.

The issue of piracy is important but I am not sure how germane it is to this thread. In the end, the reality of failed anti-piracy methods doesn't negate the right intellectual property right owners have to reasonably protect their products/creations. Consumers may not like how a company does anti-piracy and may speak with their dollars about it by complaining or not buying the product. But I digress.

Last, I appreciate that people differ on the issue of having a premium OS. But I would rather have the option to have more features, even if I have to pay a bit more (a reasonable amount). Once I am not compelled to pay beyond what I think is reasonable for the value I get. I don't expect companies to give free updates forever for NEW features or content (or substantial upgrades). Innovation is not free and companies should be incentivized to correct bugs (for free!), give free updates to the extent is reasonable, and have an option to upsell customers who want more.

It doesn't always happen but more revenue could provide a better user experience in the long term as Akai could continue to be incentivized to better the software of existing units. Companies need to be profitable to survive and thrive. My one-time purchase can only go so far for the company. Profit margins for products are often lower than most consumers realize. I'd rather the company have the revenue and incentive to keep innovating for the product I have than to keep trying to sell me a whole new product, when the one I have is potentially capable of doing substantially the same as the new one could, if it had a firmware update.

That's now my 6 cents.