Dr. Nathan Parker Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 Accordance has generally attempted to avoid a subscription or membership model completely, just direct-selling Accordance upgrades, modules, and packages. Personally, I prefer to own instead of rent my Bible software, features, and books when possible, and I periodically go through my own services lists in general and reduce unused services. Some of the other guys have tried subscriptions or memberships in the past. Logos tried the rapid-release “Logos Now” service, the “Logos Cloud” library rental service, both which merged into “Faithlife Connect” and had a messy launch. I had subscribed to each of those services, but I ended up cancelling all of them and pivoting toward owning the Bible software features and books. Wordsearch offered a useful “Perks” program (which I actually enjoyed, I only dropped it after it transitioned over to Logos) and a “Library Rental” service (which I never used since I owned most of the books in it). Two library subscriptions I do keep active currently are: Galaxie Journals and Scribd. For Galaxie Journals, I need the most up-to-date journals from Galaxie, and until they become available in Accordance, this is the most cost-effective way to access them. I use the Accordance Web Browser to access them. For Scribd, I use it to read books I generally only need to read once, as well as for evaluating commentaries and reference books that I may be interested in investing in. The sheet music, audiobooks, and magazine articles features are also useful. All-in-all, I save more than $12/month in book sales by keeping it. Some users on here have discussed a possible interest in some form of subscription or membership model Accordance or certain Accordance modules. First of all, I want to state up front that if Accordance were to release any form of subscription or membership service, it would be in addition to and another option from directly buying Accordance upgrades or modules and not replace the direct sales model. That model is not going away, as plenty of users want to own their Bible software, features, and books. What I’m trying to determine from this thread is asking our user community to get more specific on what kind of subscription or membership you would be willing to pay a monthly or annual fee for. What would a subscription or membership offering look like from Accordance? How much per month or year would you be willing to pay for such services? A few options come to my mind. These are just my own personal brainstorming. There haven’t been any official decisions made on this front: Pay an annual fee to receive all future major releases of Accordance, similar to “Logos Now” or “Faithlife Connect” without the rapid-release schedule. This could include more regular updates on Accordance Mobile and Cloud (once released). Would this be a rental model, or a model where you get to keep all the features you paid into the membership when you stop paying, but you just don’t get the new features unless you upgrade to a new version or signup for a new membership? Pay an annual fee for regular access to theological journals (such as Galaxie journals in Accordance). Would this be a rental model (like Galaxie.com), or a model where you own the journals through the duration of your membership, but you don’t receive any new journals unless you direct-purchase them or signup for a new membership. Pay a monthly to rent higher-end works you’re only going to use for a short time (such as a student needing certain works during a semester), then the works disappear after you drop the subscription? The subscription would still be more cost-effective than a payment plan or direct-buying the works. Offer some form of “Perks” program similar to what Wordsearch offered with additional sales, books, loyalty rewards, etc. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Jonathan Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 (edited) For me, I would like to see a hybrid. I would want to keep my own resources as I do, but then buy a subscription that gives me access to EVERYTHING Accordance has to offer. Then, as I use it, what I want to use and keep, I buy as my own. This gives me a bit of both. As for price, I am willing to go up to $100/yr. It wouldn't be something I would keep permenantely. I like to own. I also would like to own the cloud version as well. Unless things like cross platform sync notes, hyperlinking from the web and massive server storage is made available for a fee per year which goes above a given amount for cloud on ownership levels. Don't know if that helps. My question is, what type of server cloud space is available for cloud storage? Edited January 8, 2023 by Pastor Jonathan 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Nathan Parker Posted January 8, 2023 Author Share Posted January 8, 2023 Thanks for the feedback! I don’t know if we could swing an “all access” Accordance subscription due to publisher royalties, but it’s at least an interesting piece of feedback! Accordance 14 users do own a license to Accordance Cloud once we release it, so we’re not forcing users to take out a subscription just to access Accordance Cloud. You’ll be able to access your Accordance library in Accordance Cloud as long as you bought the upgrade to Accordance 14, even if you haven’t installed it on your machine. There are different server/cloud providers out there. Not sure what will be powering the backend to Accordance Cloud. We’ll leverage whatever we need to provide a robust experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abram K-J Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 3 hours ago, Nathan Parker said: What I’m trying to determine from this thread is asking our user community to get more specific on what kind of subscription or membership you would be willing to pay a monthly or annual fee for. What would a subscription or membership offering look like from Accordance? How much per month or year would you be willing to pay for such services? Are you asking because the powers that be are actually actively considering this, or are you just curious? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Nathan Parker Posted January 8, 2023 Author Share Posted January 8, 2023 I showed some of the forum feedback to “the powers that be” on people that were interested in a subscription/membership with us, so we’re trying to get a little more feedback from customers on this. Nothing specific/definite to announce at the moment. Right now, it’s just asking customers to brainstorm and give us feedback on where their interests are here. We wouldn’t want to rush into any subscription/membership offering like the other guys did and get into the mess they did, but I can see where there could be some useful areas to offer supplemental subscription/membership offerings to the direct purchase method (such as journals could be an option). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abram K-J Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 I speak only for myself, but I wonder if this possible change in business model (and thus more money from users) will be easier to think about once a stable (for all users) v. 14 has been released. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristin Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 3 hours ago, Nathan Parker said: First of all, I want to state up front that if Accordance were to release any form of subscription or membership service, it would be in addition to and another option from directly buying Accordance upgrades or modules and not replace the direct sales model. I am relieved to hear this, as I am for sure not interested in subscription anything. No subscription iCloud, no subscription Dropbox, or whatever. I despise subscriptions and am relieved to hear that the normal "I own this" is not going anywhere. I would personally only consider buying something on Accordance if it is something I own, making the amount I would be willing to spend on a subscription $0 per year. The statement you said in the quote above resolved my concerns, but I just wanted to mention this since you asked for feedback. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donald Cobb Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 47 minutes ago, Kristin said: I am relieved to hear this, as I am for sure not interested in subscription anything. No subscription iCloud, no subscription Dropbox, or whatever. I despise subscriptions and am relieved to hear that the normal "I own this" is not going anywhere. I would personally only consider buying something on Accordance if it is something I own, making the amount I would be willing to spend on a subscription $0 per year. The statement you said in the quote above resolved my concerns, but I just wanted to mention this since you asked for feedback. Pretty much my thoughts as well. Where I might be somewhat open to a subscription model would be in access to specialized biblical/theological journals or the possibility to "rent" a book I'd either use for a specific project or might want to consider buying. A model like that would allow users to see how useful such and such a book might be. But for this latter idea to be worthwhile, I think Accordance's catalogue would have to be much larger than it is at present. I wouldn't give too much consideration to that with the current catalogue. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukfraser Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 (edited) I am happily retired, apart from JAA, have all the resources I need, though happy to buy a few more that look interesting or useful. I dont like subscriptions as you are locked in and if you stop paying you loose what youve built up. I have been forced in one subscription as its the only product out there but its a reasonable cost @ about $45 for three years and its their database and i just search it. As its now web based, i can search it from my ipad rather than having to get up and boot up my mbp! So im paying for convenience. i have resisted both adobe and microsoft and am nursing old equipment so my stand alone design suite and office suites and notation suite are still working but for how long. But hope i will still be able to buy a standalone copy of lightroom when the time comes to upgrade my hardware, the basic music notation software is still available, its only the professional variants that are on subscription which i dont need. As others have said, i can see a hybrid, particularly web based getting access to ALL resources or if you add contemporary journals as they are published but these are NOT something i would be interested in. plus how would it work for those who have invested heavily in resources? What happens when the subscription ceases do we loose everything we have acquired? Even the one subscription i have, if i stop, i still have the original outdated data base i purchased, not ideal but at least i have something to show for my early investment. Edited January 8, 2023 by ukfraser 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven S Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 Without repeating the excellent reasons given above, I'll just add that I'm not interested in a subscription model for either the software or the resources (although I realize such a model probably would make sense for institutions and power users). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian K. Mitchell Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 8 hours ago, Nathan Parker said: First of all, I want to state up front that if Accordance were to release any form of subscription or membership service, it would be in addition to and another option from directly buying Accordance upgrades or modules and not replace the direct sales model. That model is not going away, as plenty of users want to own their Bible software, features, and books. To be honest the concept of a subscription service for Bible Software never occurred me, but as long as the subscription service is only one of the options in addition to the traditional direct sales model then I guess I am fine with it. 8 hours ago, Nathan Parker said: What I’m trying to determine from this thread is asking our user community to get more specific on what kind of subscription or membership you would be willing to pay a monthly or annual fee for. What would a subscription or membership offering look like from Accordance? How much per month or year would you be willing to pay for such services? I could imagine that universities or colleges might be interested in subscribing to a set site package license. As for myself I don't know, but for really expensive items I might consider a rent/subscribe to own or until you own (payment) type of plan. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Langston Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 I am not interested in such a service. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhanel Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 even though one could conceivably save money with the subscription model in the short term (and possibly even the long term), the idea of ownership is rather important to me. I cannot sell or pass on to others an item I do not own. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlm Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 I too would be interested in occasionally renting short-term use of resources, but not in a subscription. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSchrock Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 Just to add my vote to those above, I am absolutely NOT interested in any kind of subscription service. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lester P. Bagley Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 To be fair, this is simply the worst possible suggestion (subscription/membership models) that nearly all knowledgable users see as a grab for more money. Adobe and Microsoft were the big companies that really brought this model to the market. No one likes the idea of constantly shelling out money for "upgrades" that bring little or no value to the users. From the company side, in a short time it becomes a race to either fix something that's not broken or think of something to add (whether really needed or not). Just listen to the serious users of the programs and see how many are constantly looking for a way to move to something else. The subscription model has never been good for anyone other than the company that wants more money for what they've already done and to charged you for. Read the update list of almost any software you re-purchase for an upgrade, bug fixes are a major item on many (most?). "Pay me more and I'll fix what was wrong in the last version" is not going to keep the loyalty of users. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abram K-J Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 Agreed with Lester. And the timing of this suggestion feels particularly rough, maybe even insulting, as many of us can't even use v. 14 because it doesn't work for us. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckylou1980 Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 I wouldn’t be interested. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawrence Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 I prefer owning a copy of the Accordance resources I pay for. However, Pastor Jonathan's all-in buffet is worth exploring. At $100 per year, it's close to being a library subscription. If royalties are an issue, limit it to (say) 10 books borrowed at a time. If this breaks the business model, Accordance could try linking up with existing library services to sell their library subscriptions. Under this model, books will still need to be Accordance-enabled, fully searchable etc, just borrowed instead of owned. The big risk for Accordance is whether this will cannibalise the actual selling of books. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c. stirling bartholomew Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 Hardly need to express an opinion on this, all you need to know is obvious. I am running version 9.6.8. When the goals for version 10 were announced I decided to get off the train. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docdave Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 It is an interesting question, but I don't think I would use it. I might subscribe to Christian Century magazine if it were available through Accordance, but I don't think I would use subscription service for anything else. I like the idea of paying a fee to access a limited "try before you buy" period for some of the more highly priced modules in Accordance. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukfraser Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, Abram K-J said: And the timing of this suggestion feels particularly rough One of the major concerns over the launch of 14 was the deafening silence from anyone from accordance and i find it encouraging that someone in marketing is opening dialogue with users. But agree that hopefully this will be put on a very low setting on a back burner while other more pressing issues are resolved. happy Epiphany/Christmas ;o) Edited January 8, 2023 by ukfraser 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leopold Green Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 I think I was one of the ones who suggested this when the v14 debacle unfolded... I meant it in the sprit of want Accordance to thrive - they provide not just the software but also a community and though I was really upset to see Mark and Rick go they have done the sensible thing with Nathan... so a fixed sub per year to provide a business model with some certainty would free up the tensions that saw v14 released too early... what I absolutely was not suggesting is that you don't own your library - I have paid for that as I have for my physical library - but I do need Accordance to stay in business to utilise it properly (or at all given how quickly OSs and chipsets change) subscriptions get a really bad rep from some but I think there are a number, Ulysses, Craft, Muse, etc., which would not have developed as well as they have without them so for me I would happily replace buying each new software with an annual sub of $100 knowing that covered the forum as well as the company actively engaging with those of us who want to engage with them I can see how renting some resources for short term might be great for students etc., 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erhard Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 11 hours ago, ukfraser said: But hope i will still be able to buy a standalone copy of lightroom when the time comes to upgrade my hardware, Standalone Lightroom is not available anymore for purchase. I also use DXO Photolab 6 elite now and it is quite good. I have a copy of the last LR 6.14 that I use on both windows 10 & 11. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solly Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 I do not wish to use a subscription model. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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