Avid Offers Up To 67% Off Pro Tools Plans In Promo
Following on from the cessation of Pro Tools Perpetual License Reinstatement Plans in late 2019, Avid is now offering incentives to encourage perpetual license holders to move over to an equivalent rental subscription plan by offering up to 67% off the first year’s subscription as well as allowing you to keep your perpetual license. We have the details…
Who Is This Promotion For And Who Is It Not For?
Before we explain what this new promo is all about. there has been some confusion about who it is for. So we are going to try and explain who it is for and who it is not for.
This is NOT a plan by Avid to get everyone onto a rental subscription plan. Avid is still offering the choice between rental subscription and perpetual licensing. For more on this see the last section of this article.
If you are a perpetual license holder who has an active upgrade plan because you pay the annual upgrade plan every year, this offer is NOT for you.
If you are a perpetual license holder who has allowed your annual upgrade plan to lapse and you are happily running the version of Pro Tools you have, then this offer is NOT for you.
If you are a perpetual license holder who has allowed your annual upgrade plan to lapse and you now want to get access to the latest version of Pro Tools, this plan IS for you.
If you are already on a Pro Tools rental subscription plan and you would like to have a single year at a lower cost, it would appear from the FAQ from Avid, which is later in this article, that you can use this promotion to get one cheaper year paying for Pro Tools rental subscription.
The Background
Back in November 2019, Avid announced the closure of the Pro Tools Reinstatement Plans although there remains an option to buy them if you can find a dealer with some in stock.
As a result, from January 1st 2020 it was no longer possible to purchase a reinstatement plan from the Avid Online Store, for either Pro Tools or Pro Tools Ultimate. However, it may be possible to purchase a Pro Tools Perpetual Reinstatement Plan from an Avid dealer for as long as they have stocks of the Reinstatement Plan you need, either for Pro Tools Standard or Pro Tools Ultimate. But once Avid dealers have sold out of these Reinstatement Plans, it will no longer be possible to buy a Pro Tools Reinstatement Plan at all.
What Is A Reinstatement Plan For?
Avid’s aim was that all perpetual Pro Tools and Pro Tools Ultimate owners would take out and renew an annual upgrade plan every year and so always have access to the latest version of Pro Tools.
As we know, not everyone chose that option, with some users not prepared to take out an annual upgrade plan, choosing instead not to spend the money and allow the upgrade plan to lapse.
To encourage those users back onto an annual upgrade plan, Avid used to offer a Reinstatement Plan, which for a price, enabled users with a lapsed Upgrade Plan to buy back into an annual Upgrade Plan. It is this option for Pro Tools and Pro Tools Ultimate perpetual license owners to get back onto an annual upgrade plan that Avid discontinued on December 31st 2019.
Current Options For Pro Tools Perpetual License Holders Without A Current Upgrade Plan
If you have a Pro Tools Perpetual license but have allowed your Upgrade Plan to lapse, once you passed the 30 day grace period, and you want to be able to use the current version of Pro Tools again, there were 2 options…
Buy a Reinstatement Plan from a Pro Tools Dealer
Crossgrade to a Rental Subscription Plan
Since December 31st 2019, the only way to buy a reinstatement plan is to find a dealer who still has stock but as we showed in our article in May 2021, reinstatement plans are becoming very difficult to find. So that leaves just one option for Pro Tools Perpetual License holders, without a current Upgrade Plan
Crossgrade From Perpetual To Subscription
If you are a perpetual license holder and you are happy to continue using Pro Tools with the version you have, all is good, the phrase that comes to mind is “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”.
However, if you would like to be able to use the current version of Pro Tools, the only option, if you couldn’t find a reinstatement plan, was to surrender your perpetual plan and crossgrade to a rental subscription plan, until now.
Avid is now offering a special promotion in which you can get up to 67% off the first year’s Pro Tools subscription plan and you don’t need to surrender your perpetual license.
Pro Tools Standard - Get your first year’s Pro Tools Subscription for $99, saving 67% and then $299 per year after that.
Pro Tools Ultimate - Get your first year’s Pro Tools Ultimate Subscription for $299, saving 63% and then $799 per year after that.
As with all Pro Tools subscriptions you get up to $1600 worth of free plugins and products with the expectation of more in the future and now you get to keep your old perpetual license.
How Does This Offer Work? Avid’s FAQ
Q: Who can access this promotion?
A: All Pro Tools v9 and higher perpetual license holders, whether you are on an active renewal plan or not.
Q: If I purchase a Pro Tools or Pro Tools | Ultimate subscription at the promotional price, do I also get to keep my perpetual license?
A: Yes! You get to keep your perpetual license forever and you get a new annual subscription along with all the benefits that come with it, including over $1,600 in free plugins with the Pro Tools Inner Circle.
Q: With a Pro Tools or Pro Tools | Ultimate annual subscription, will I have access to Pro Tools Inner Circle rewards, HEAT analog console modeling, and the Avid Complete Plugin Bundle?
A: Yes! Pro Tools Inner Circle rewards ($1,600 USD value), HEAT, and the Avid Complete Plugin Bundle are included with Pro Tools subscriptions exclusively. They are not included with Pro Tools or Pro Tools | Ultimate perpetual licenses. However, you can enjoy them for the full year of your annual subscription, but will lose access to these rewards and plug-ins should you choose to let your annual subscription expire.
Q: If I choose to renew my Pro Tools or Pro Tools | Ultimate annual subscription, will I be able to do so at this promotional price?
A: Promotional pricing is available one time only and is good for the first year of your subscription. If you choose to renew your annual subscription, subsequent years will be at full price.
Q: What is the Pro Tools Inner Circle?
A: As an annual subscriber, you get access to the Pro Tools Inner Circle. This rewards program gives you access to over $1,600 USD in free plugins, sounds, training resources, and more from the industry’s most cutting-edge developers. Plus, you’ll get new rewards throughout the year.
Q: If I purchase a Pro Tools or Pro Tools | Ultimate subscription at the promotional price, will it extend my Software Updates & Support Plan of my perpetual license?
A: No. This is a brand-new subscription with a separate license hence it will not extend your perpetual license’s Software Updates & Support plan.
Q: I have a Pro Tools EDU Perpetual license, am I eligible for this promotion?
A: Yes, you are eligible for this promotion whether your perpetual Software Updates & Support plan is active or not. You may purchase either Pro Tools and/or Pro Tools Ultimate subscription at its promotional pricing but not with the educational discount as these are only non-EDU subscriptions.
Q: Do I need a new iLok account to activate the license of this new subscription?
A: No, you may use your existing iLok account.
Q: If I take advantage of this promotion, can I activate my subscription license at a later date?
A: You may activate the subscription license at a later date by clicking the Receive License and Downloads button only at your preferred start date of the subscription.
Where Can I Find This Offer?
Go to your Avid Master Account. Once you have logged in, click on View My Products. Then select My Special Offers. You will find these offers listed there.
Is This The End Of Pro Tools Perpetual Licensing?
Avid clearly says in their Reinstatement FAQ article that…
“there are no plans to discontinue perpetual licensing. You may still purchase a new perpetual license and, if you own a perpetual license with an active plan, you can continue to stay up to date with the latest versions of your software by purchasing an annual renewal each year.”
Avid has reiterated this point on a number of occasions and whenever we have asked this question the answer has always been the same. They plan to continue to offer both perpetual and subscription licenses, enabling you to choose which option suits you better.
That said, with the introduction of the Inner Circle Rewards, which are exclusively for subscription plans and not available for perpetual license holders, and now with this offer to crossgrade to a subscription plan and keep your old perpetual license, it is very clear that Avid is encouraging users to move to a subscription plan.