As is usual form for me this will be TL:DR for most probably LOL
But..since you said Adobe can see this:
To Adobe, and by extension you all as well:
There are many artists who work on a contract or per project basis within different Industries that Subscriptions just do not work for. It's the risk. The risk being that the subscription runs out mid project and you don't have enough money to keep it going and now can't finish the project. By extension, you now can't pay your bills and that issue can snowball.
I, personally, am only subscribed to your Subscription Plan (and I mean yours alone..no others) and it was for three reasons:
1) It was a great value between the wonderful software and also Substance Source
2) If times got tough or things got tighter and the $20 a month became a worry, I did have the safety net there to buy perpetual...keep going on my projects. Get paid..come back to Subscription.
3) It also meant something to me that my payments counted towards something more tangible rather than disappearing software. I don't want to pay monthly for years...spend so many thousands of dollars and in the end one bad month..poof that long term investment is gone.
There are many artists out there (2D, 3D, Gaming Industry - and in Adobe's case Photographers as well) that are Contract workers. Those contracts have peaks and valleys. People go through dry periods due to illness. They go through dry spells due to the economy. I get that most people would say that it is only $20.00...but so many software companies have now decided to go this route that "Only $20.00 a month" is turning into $200, $300, $400 (and sometimes WAY MORE depending what you are doing) per month once other companies add in their "only x amount of money per month". Now it used to be most companies had both. You could choose what suited your work, budget, schedule, income, time, level of use, etc. So some applications I may buy perpetual when I had work where I had the extra and ride that out for two years (I used to do that with my Adobe Creative Suite - upgrade my perpetual every 2 years for Adobe Web Creative Suite) and then others I may Subscribe to if the added value was there and if I saw benefit or low risks in doing so (low risk in my case ALWAYS being that Perpetual is an option). Now though, most companies don't offer a perpetual (something most are upset with Adobe about because we feel it started with them and became the standard.)
Now personally, I LOVE Allegorithmic, as a company...as people. If you look at my account you'll see the proof pretty easily (Ive bought extra licenses multiple times that I don't even NEED just to invest in your development - even as far as getting Pro versions when I don't make NEAR the amounts necessary to have to) I've subscribed AND bought perpetuals (and I am a company of 1 LOL) I did that because you were the only company anymore who I felt was HEARING US and as such I wanted to support you like I felt you were supporting me.
Subscription from a developer standpoint makes sense and I get that. Like us, you need a flow of consistent money coming in to pay you while you are developing and innovating. That said, like us, not always is that flow of money consistent when people may skip one years upgrading or when the economy is tighter etc. Now for you, you can charge Subscription to help that..but for me/most of us...we cannot. And that is where the issue is. I work project to project (much like anyone working paycheck to paycheck) Some months I have an influx of money and some months I'm stressing trying to figure out how to pay the monthly bills to keep my home afloat. The way you set things up, I didn't have to worry that just when I may need the software most...the software may say "sorry I need more money" when I may not have the money in that moment and may need this project to be able to make said money.
I truly hope Adobe is reading this...and maybe rethinks their pricing model in favor of modeling after what you have done here rather than changing you to be them. They lost a long time customer in me...and a devoted one. (I own CS, CS 2, CS 3, CS 5.5, and CS 6 - If I recall correctly - and the last two or 3 versions were suites) I've not bought one version since they went to Subscription Only with no way to get to a Perpetual. Instead I started looking at alternatives which makes me sad...I love their line of products but endless subscriptions to 10+ different companies isn't something I can afford or risk. I said that at the time to them..and it is still true now.
As they say you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip and some days I'm a cash machine...others I am very much a turnip. I need to use software that understands that and offers options for both.
