Avid Says 3,200 Users Are Paying for Media Composer Subscriptions

Studio Daily by Bryant Frazer

Company Is Preparing a Stronger Push for Its Alternative to Adobe's 'Downmarket' Creative Cloud, CEO Says

More than 3,200 customers are paying for monthly or annual Avid Media Composer subscriptions, the company said, giving its editing software a foothold in a larger universe of users that includes pros and hobbyists who have historically been unable to afford a Media Composer license. Targeting Adobe's Creative Cloud offering, Avid plans to "more actively" market Media Composer through 2015 as new options become available, Avid President and CEO Louis Hernandez Jr. said in a conference call with investors yesterday.

"These cloud and subscription users largely represent new customers from the individual professional and creative enthusiast market, one we had previously failed to successfully penetrate," Hernandez said. Avid's subscription program for Media Composer was announced at NAB 2014 and launched in the second quarter. Users who commit to subscribe for a full year pay a total of $599 for Media Composer, which is also available on a month-to-month basis for $74.99 ($899 for the year). The company said it saw an average monthly growth rate of 45 percent over the first four months that subscriptions were available.

Hernandez made it clear that Avid plans to target users who have been alienated by Apple's Final Cut Pro X and are unhappy with Adobe's Premiere Pro CC. "Historically, we've seen independent professionals who've felt abandoned by Apple, with their Final Cut Pro market and the changes to that product, turn to Adobe mostly as they were the only real, viable downmarket option," he said. "Now, with Media Composer offered on a cloud-based subscription, those same professionals no longer have to settle for a downmarket product because they have the ability to access the best tools with a pricing model that works for them."

(It's difficult to draw a direct comparison between the subscriber figures reported by Avid and Adobe. At a similar point in its lifecycle, Adobe's Creative Cloud had nearly 200,000 paying subscribers ? but that product offering appealed to the company's substantial user base in the VFX, design and photographic communities, not just editors.) read more...

Avid Media Composer [ Software
Annual Subscriptions

Why subscribe?

• Pay for the software only when you need it, wherever you need it
• Get full access to the latest Media Composer tools with Avid Symphony Option in the most cost-effective way
• Expand your capabilities with additional Avid third-party software?including NewBlue Titler Pro v2, Sorenson Squeeze Lite, Boris COntinuum Complete Lite and more
• Stay up to date with the latest technology and releases at no additional cost
• Get access to every software update and upgrade as soon as they?re available
• Scale client count up or down as project demands and budget dictate
• Easily manage purchases through your My Avid account

When you subscribe to Avid Media Composer [ Software you get annual access to Media Composer with the Symphony Option, free upgrades and updates and a lot more. All subscription licenses include:

• Media Composer? [ Software
• Media Composer [ Symphony? Option
• NewBlue Titler Pro v2
• Boris Continuum Complete Lite
• Sorenson Squeeze Pro (30-day trial)
• iZotope Insight (30-day Trial)
• Avid Standard Support (including all software updates)

Media Composer is proven and trusted by professional editors in every segment of film, television, and broadcast. Designed to handle high volumes of disparate file-based media, Media Composer delivers accelerated high-res-to-HD workflows, real-time collaboration, and powerful media management, eliminating time-consuming tasks so you can focus on telling a great story. And now the choice is yours?edit on premises, remotely through the cloud, on demand, through a low-cost subscription, or purchase a license outright?making Media Composer the most versatile and accessible tool for professional creative editorial.