[QLab] Pricing

[soundsman]

Alright, I'll throw in my 2¢ worth.

So, I've been through most sides of this argument in the past. As a  
developer, a student, college instructor, and now as a professional  
designer and engineer. The reality is: It really doesn't matter what  
it is YOUR doing, it is about what the product has to offer. Having  
an education/non-profit option is nice, but really is as much that is  
really accepted in the industry. Yamaha doesn't charge you only 20%  
of list price for a PM5D just because your a student, but you might  
be able to get a discount as a school or something like that.

Christopher wants to make QLab free, and QLab rocks!. Most schools  
and community theaters will be able to do what they want to just by  
using that software. Philip primarily does corporate work, and sound  
play back with a max of 8 outputs will normally be enough for that.  
MIDI automation and MSC are not as major an issue. If it gets to the  
point that it is, it would make sense to pay the money for good  
tools. (Which is why I carry my own podium microphones when I do  
corporate work). If your looking for the advanced features that QLab  
Pro offers, then you should be required to pay for those features,  
and it would be reasonable to assume the technical support for the  
pro version might be a little better than the free version.

Facts:
* QLab Pro's biggest competitor will be QLab
* Next, Cricket for the Mac, or SFX for the PC

* Most popular use for QLab Pro will be theater
* Next, Corporate, TV/video, some tours

* QLab Pro will most offen be speced by single designers or small  
theater organizations.

It would be reasonable for QLab Pro to have advanced features that  
make it competitive to Cricket and SFX, and the be priced somewhere  
in that range. Education and multi-license discounts are always a  
good idea.

I'm not throwing out numbers, it doesn't take much research to figure  
that out. These are my personal thoughts.

Mark H