Knoxville, TN (March 29, 2023)—Waves Audio has announced it will reinstate the option to purchase and update perpetual plug-in and bundle licenses.
The move comes in the wake of substantial end-user outcry after the company abruptly announced an immediate move to a subscription-only model three days ago on Sunday, March 26.
Waves will return to its original perpetual plug-in license model, while also retaining its newly established Waves Creative Access service.
The new offering has two tiers of subscriptions—Waves Ultimate, with all of the company’s plug-ins, and Waves Essential, providing roughly half its plugs. Licenses and subscriptions will both be offered going forward.
Users that already own perpetual licenses will be able to update plug-ins and receive a second license via the Waves Update Plan as they did previously, independently of the subscription program.
A concrete timeline for licenses returning was not given, but the company has instituted a news page on the issue that will be updated in real-time in order to transparently inform users on the reinstatement’s progress.
The announcement was made in an open letter by company CTO and co-founder Meir Shashoua. It reads:
Dear Waves community,
My name is Meir Shashoua, and I’m the CTO and Co-Founder of Waves Audio.
Over the past few days, many of you have expressed concerns about our decision to discontinue perpetual plugin licenses and our move to an exclusive plugin subscription model. I would like to start by apologizing for the frustration we have caused many of you, our loyal customers. We understand that our move was sudden and disruptive, and did not sufficiently take into consideration your needs, wishes, and preferences. We are genuinely sorry for the distress it has caused.
After respectfully listening to your concerns, I want to share with you that we are bringing back the perpetual plugin license model, side-by-side with the new subscriptions. You will again be able to get plugins as perpetual licenses, just as before.
In addition, those of you who already own perpetual licenses will once again be able to update your plugins and receive a second license via the Waves Update Plan—again, just as before. This option, too, will be available alongside and independently of the subscription program.
We are currently putting all our efforts into making perpetual licenses available to you again, as quickly as possible. In the meantime, you can keep up-to-date on this news page, where we will post the latest updates on perpetual license availability.
I would like you to know that we are committed to you, our users. We listened to your feedback, and we will continue to listen to you. Waves is a company filled with users and creators, just like you, and we are all as passionate about the products as you are. With this in mind, we will strive to find the way to make things right by you, and hopefully regain your trust.
Thank you for your feedback and continued support—I wish you all the best,
Meir Shashoua
CTO and Co-Founder
