It’s been a while since I last wrote, but I haven’t been idle in that time!

Since my last blog post, when I announced that SongSheet Pro was becoming a universal app and the old iPhone version retired, SongSheet has gained:

  • drag and drop reordering of songs on iPhone
  • search/filtering of songs on iPhone
  • the foundations for major new features with the song database updated to support song tagging and song collections

Of course, there have been regular bug fix updates, too.

However, progress has been much slower than I would have liked. There are so many things I’d like to add to SongSheet Pro, and many many feature requests from users of the app. The problem is, I cannot currently afford to make this my full time job.

In April last year (has it been that long already?!) I wrote on SongSheet’s mailing list asking for feedback on some changes I was thinking of making to SongSheet’s business model. Many generously took time to reply.

Today I’m announcing the changes that will be made, which will hopefully put SongSheet Pro on a much more secure footing. These changes will happen in two stages.

Stage 1

The app remains paid up front, but I’m adding an optional monthly subscription. This subscription effectively functions as a “tip jar” which will help fund development of new features.

If you don’t subscribe, you won’t lose anything. You will still have full access to all the features you currently use and love. You’ll still get bug fixes.

The subscription offered during this phase is what I call the “early bird” subscription, and will be cheaper for paid users than the subscription offered when SongSheet Pro reaches Stage 2 (sometime in the next few months).

Stage 2

SongSheet Pro will transition from being paid up front, to free to try, with an ongoing subscription required for new users.

How this will affect you will depend on when you first became a SongSheet Pro user:

If you bought SongSheet Pro up front:

  • The subscription will always be completely optional
  • You will not be locked out of any features you had access to before SongSheet became free, and you’ll still get all bug fixes.
  • Some new features will only be unlocked via a discounted subscription.

If you become a SongSheet Pro user after it transitions to free to try:

  • You won’t have to pay anything up front
  • There will be a trial period where everything will be unlocked. The trial period will not automatically turn into a subscription. So no worries about being charged if you forget to cancel!
  • If not in a trial period or not subscribed, you will be able to view and export songs, but you will be locked out of creating and editing new songs and set lists and many other of SongSheet’s features.
  • If subscribed, you will have access to all of SongSheet Pro’s features. I’m not planning to implement different levels of access in the app. (I like things to stay simple).

So why subscribe now?

  • You will be enabling more rapid development of new features.
  • Some upcoming features will require a subscription.
  • The subscription offered now will have early bird pricing.

If you have any questions or comments about this, please let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them!

– Gabriel
Developer of SongSheet Pro