Esperance pre-release update

[Hayd]

It would seem to me that 90% of the people on there forums are DJs mostly mobile or club; so to ignore their need in my opinion would be a huge mistake. As already said there really is a need for a quality reliable DJ software with solid video mixing and Virtual DJ/Traktor type feature. I feel OTS could take the market if they managed to achieve their stability with additional features. Fingers crossed !

[Nicolee]

Hi guys,

Please remember that we're simply informing people here so that everyone has an equal and fair chance and no one can complain later. We're not specifically trying to sell extra licenses as such. Why would we bother when Esperance is just around the corner and will naturally sell itself (and we won't lose the discount amount then as we are now)?

The point is that people buy OtsAV - AS IS (1.85) - due to the featureset and stability it has NOW. We wouldn't expect most people to buy a license for something they know very little about (ie. Esperance). However, if you KNOW Ots and you NEED more licenses anyway, eg. your business has grown, then you may as well buy them now at a reduced price because this promotion is definitely going to end. Whenever a promotion ends we always get people writing in asking us to extend it (even when we have stated upfront that we can't).

When we started publishing on Facebook we received concerns from some customers saying they would never use social media and were worried about being left out or treated worse as a "plain old email user". Similar sentiments were expressed by some regarding this forum. So our purpose here is simply to make sure (via all the various mediums) that everyone who wants to be is well and truly informed that this promotion will soon be ending. That way, no one can complain later. Also remember that some of our customers are buying large batches (eg. 10, 50 or sometimes even far more) and of more expensive products like OtsAV TV Broadcaster. So a discount becomes quite lucrative and being on the ball can save them a lot. If it doesn't apply to you (you already have enough licenses to cover your immediate and projected short-term needs) then that's great!

If you're just interested in upgrading an EXISTING license, well that's an entirely different issue and something that can be dealt with after the release. Of course in reality, many of our customers have needs in both camps (some licenses to upgrade later, but are also growing now in terms of absolute systems required). Again, they will save by paying attention now. And whatever is in Esperance is kind of irrelevant (though of course very welcomed).

Now if you're not a current Ots customer and basically just an observer, then of course it would be a gamble to buy now if you don't like or can't use Ots as it already is (1.85). We're not specifically promising anything in this release other than what we have stated: "Easier to use. More powerful. More Fun. - It's everything you've tasted, only better". Yes, this is a very significant release as you'll all see very shortly, but that doesn't mean it's going to magically address everyone's wishlist - and certainly not the initial version of this new series. We recommend waiting if you're in this camp unless you already know enough to know you want to use Ots and/or like to gamble

Anyone who thinks Ots is trying to compete with other DJ tools is seriously misguided. We never have and never will. It's not part of our roadmap or vision. It's been said a million times already, but if another tool suits your needs best, then use it! What are you doing here??? Ots has heaps of very happy, loyal and regular (many buying new licenses every single month) customers spanning a number of industries including real growth industries (which unfortunately the DJ market is not - it's actually being watered down by streaming services, personal devices, etc). Don't get me wrong, we want to be a better DJ tool - and Esperance definitely is. But we're not about to sell our souls or compromise our long-held values and standards. We do what we do and it works very well indeed. It may not be for absolutely everyone, but obviously we meet the needs of plenty or we wouldn't continue doing it.

Hi Ian,

That's pretty much *exactly* what Apple attempt to do every time, LOL!

"If the current operating system is also brilliant then people might not bother"

Again the point is being missed. We don't specifically wish for anyone to "bother" unless they have a need for additional licenses, in which case they will want to bother and the imminent release of Esperance simply makes this a very ideal time to start "bothering" if they are a cost-sensitive operation (like many).

As far as what is new in Esperance, well everyone will just have to wait! But not much longer now

Cheers,
Adam

The problem with trying to sell reduced licences before the official release is pure and simple, most of the world is going through tough times and are finding austerity particularly difficult. For example most of the eurozone is in a bad place at the moment and quite a few people are being squeezed and are simply making do with what they have until things get better.

Me personally have just forked out over 10k on a new sound system so from a business point of view i'm not doing too badly, but I don't yet need any more licences for my DJ business as that is rather flat at the moment and can't see me ever expanding on 1 licence as my backup machine runs VDJ 7.0 and my recent investment is currently being paid for by my tribute band which to be honest there has been a massive explosion in with regard to booking, if things carry on at this rate I will knock the DJ business on the head as £300 - £450 per gig with the DJ business does not stack up against £1200 - £1600 per gig with the band.

But back to why peeps won't part with their money now. Ask yourself this question, would Microsoft, Apple, Sony or any other software developer wether it be for productivity or enjoyment ask for copies of their software to be paid for before release without knowing what features they are actually buying...... And the feature set of what is being brought is the most important as in this instance one glove certainly don't fit all, and without knowing that me and maybe quite a few others won't buy until its released. I would rather pay more for something later with features I would use rather than taking a gamble with features I would probably never use as a DJ I call being shrewd in business and it's not a stupid or unwise attitude to take.

However you could change the ball game considerably by say or offering.... Buy this product now or upgrade now.... try it.... and if it's not for you then you get a refund.... to me in the current climate that seems more prudent in offering a promise if you as a developer have faith in your software that everyone will be pleasantly pleased, that way you get the cash flow as business upfront.

Just my thoughts, probably a bit too late to act on though at this stage.

[scott hanna]

If 2.0 was here 1, 2 or 5 years ago, would you mind an occasional crash?

Nope.  I would much rather give up some cool features and be confident that my software isn't going to crash at someone's event.

my copies of PCDJ and VDJ have cool features, but have never been used at a gig because of an occasional crash I had during testing.

[Mike Sinclair]

Nope.  I would much rather give up some cool features and be confident that my software isn't going to crash at someone's event.

my copies of PCDJ and VDJ have cool features, but have never been used at a gig because of an occasional crash I had during testing.

Same here! Never once had an issue with Ots.

[Ots_Adam]

The problem with trying to sell reduced licences before the official release is pure and simple, most of the world is going through tough times and are finding austerity particularly difficult. For example most of the eurozone is in a bad place at the moment and quite a few people are being squeezed and are simply making do with what they have until things get better.

Me personally have just forked out over 10k on a new sound system so from a business point of view i'm not doing too badly, but I don't yet need any more licences for my DJ business as that is rather flat at the moment and can't see me ever expanding on 1 licence as my backup machine runs VDJ 7.0 and my recent investment is currently being paid for by my tribute band which to be honest there has been a massive explosion in with regard to booking, if things carry on at this rate I will knock the DJ business on the head as £300 - £450 per gig with the DJ business does not stack up against £1200 - £1600 per gig with the band.

But back to why peeps won't part with their money now. Ask yourself this question, would Microsoft, Apple, Sony or any other software developer wether it be for productivity or enjoyment ask for copies of their software to be paid for before release without knowing what features they are actually buying...... And the feature set of what is being brought is the most important as in this instance one glove certainly don't fit all, and without knowing that me and maybe quite a few others won't buy until its released. I would rather pay more for something later with features I would use rather than taking a gamble with features I would probably never use as a DJ I call being shrewd in business and it's not a stupid or unwise attitude to take.

However you could change the ball game considerably by say or offering.... Buy this product now or upgrade now.... try it.... and if it's not for you then you get a refund.... to me in the current climate that seems more prudent in offering a promise if you as a developer have faith in your software that everyone will be pleasantly pleased, that way you get the cash flow as business upfront.

Just my thoughts, probably a bit too late to act on though at this stage.

Did you actually even read that text that you quoted?

Many customers have taken advantage of the promotion since our notice went out and are obviously grateful to have received the reminder. If it doesn't apply to you in your situation, that's OK. But at least you were informed as was everyone else. My apologies if you have a problem with that.

Where do you get the idea that we're trying to sell licenses? (My post which you quoted in full clearly states that we lose money when people buy now while the promotion is running). And why do you say that "peeps won't part with their money now"? No one has stated anything of the sort in this thread and it certainly hasn't been our experience. What makes you think the situation in Europe has anything to do with this? We're based in Europe and well aware of things here. Actually, some of our strongest growth is eminating from this region - but that's also quite irrelevant to this thread. Yes, of course parts of Europe, and elsewhere in the world, are struggling to various degrees, and equally some areas and some industries are really thriving. But again, all that has little to do with this thread which is simply a courtesy notice to a customer base.

How about we just keep the thread on track and to the point? - otherwise it becomes too tiresome to bother providing *any* explanations at all. We come here and post from time to time to shed some light on things that may be helpful or insightful, keep the members here updated, etc. But we're not here to be instructed about Europe, politics, whether people are apparently buying things right now, or whatever, nor have it insinuated that it's some kind of "crime" to inform our customers of an offer (try telling that to the customers who are taking advantage of it). All of those things are for the most part irrelevant to our purpose here because they vary so much from region to region, culture to culture, industry to industry and person to person, that you can't really base global decisions on the experiences of one, or a handful of people.

We're a company developing and selling innovative and well-established audio/video software that is widely used. If you want to buy it, you will. If you don't, you won't. If you need another license and choose to take advantage of a promotion, you reap a financial benefit. If you don't need another license anyway, then of course you're not going to buy, promotion or not! It's hardly rocket science. We'll continue to do our best and to keep customers informed where possible and feasible. With all due respect, we're not actually seeking business advice from this medium. And especially not when you clearly haven't even fully read the explanation I've already provided. You still seem to be stuck under the false assumption that people buying now are doing so solely for Esperance. Of course some may, but that's hardly the case for the majority. If everything hinged on Esperance, then how/why have we continued to sell so many licenses leading up to this point? Yes, a new release is always exciting (of course - we're very excited ourselves), but OtsAV is a stable, mature product that has been powering many venues and services since the time Bill Clinton was in the Oval Office. Now that's a thought.

Cheers

Adam

[mel garland]

What a good thread.  I've really enjoyed reading the thoughts and opinions of users of OTSAV and OTS Steve replying with the firms outlook on their way they run the business.  At the end of the day they own and run the business and have better insight into how it is going. If they were loosing sales then no doubt they would change but are happy at the moment to continue on the same track.

I would like to thank OTS Steve for taking the time to visiting this forum and taking time replying to various threads and no doubt by the end of the week he and his fellow works will be able to take a nice deserved break

[Dale James]

Ots Adam too

[mel garland]

Should of checked   Thanks OTS Adam.

[Jumpin' Jeff]

Yeah, it's rare, but it's a treat when Adam comments here!
Thanks to everyone at Ots Labs for such a wonderful product, and may Esperance prove to be more wonderfull and stable than our current OtsAV.

With less than 3 days left, we shall find out for ourselves very soon what Esperance is all about.

[cprman67]

I'm curious, when it's released, if there are some things missing, as they said could possibly happen. Will they tell us? Or, will they just release what they have and then have a patch a month or two down the road. Since they like the secrecy of the launch, I'm thinking that they may just say some things didn't make the launch and will be forthcoming. It would be nice to know what if anything didn't make it in this release, or at least that something didn't make it and will be coming.

[Dale James]

I'm curious, when it's released, if there are some things missing, as they said could possibly happen. Will they tell us? Or, will they just release what they have and then have a patch a month or two down the road. Since they like the secrecy of the launch, I'm thinking that they may just say some things didn't make the launch and will be forthcoming. It would be nice to know what if anything didn't make it in this release, or at least that something didn't make it and will be coming.

It'll all be in the e-mail / site post

[DJ Postie]

well said Adam 

[SoundWave]

Sometimes I think people forget that we are actually communicating with the company making our software.  You don't have access like this to other companies.

[powerjam]

Anyone who thinks Ots is trying to compete with other DJ tools is seriously misguided. We never have and never will. It's not part of our roadmap or vision. It's been said a million times already, but if another tool suits your needs best, then use it! What are you doing here??? Ots has heaps of very happy, loyal and regular (many buying new licenses every single month) customers spanning a number of industries including real growth industries (which unfortunately the DJ market is not - it's actually being watered down by streaming services, personal devices, etc). Don't get me wrong, we want to be a better DJ tool - and Esperance definitely is. But we're not about to sell our souls or compromise our long-held values and standards. We do what we do and it works very well indeed. It may not be for absolutely everyone, but obviously we meet the needs of plenty or we wouldn't continue doing it.

Personally, I think the statement regarding the DJ market not being a real growth industry is very short-sighted. I believe if Ots could offer a solution that provides the rock-solid base product they already have along with the abilities of Traktor, Serato, etc. and combine it into a new rock-solid "Esperience" you could greatly increase the base of DJs that use Ots. DJs are springing up all the time, there is a new generation and the rock bottom feeders are using Windows Media Player and Winamp, believe it or not, but I believe if you build it, they will come! Word of mouth is the best advertising. Add the features that mobile and club DJs are asking for and other applications are providing and I have the feeling Ots will do everything better.

From your response it almost sounds like you are gearing new features toward your more "lucrative" markets, such as television but you'd be surprised at how big of a market there is for DJs, my small town of population 1000 has no less than 4 DJ companies, bigger cities have thousands of DJs. Hopefully you are going to make your club & mobile DJs happier too and that in turn will make OtsCorp a bigger business and get the recognition I believe you deserve. You have already supported external controllers, DJs just want more support and support for newer controllers. You have already indicated features that have been in Ots but never implemented such as lighting control. I don't want to get too long-winded, but I just wanted to let you know my feelings on your comment. I've been in the mobile/club DJ business for over 26 years now and using Ots since Windows 98 was the newest operating system. And I still would not switch to a new DJ program - I've tried others and for my style of DJing, Ots is still the best. I look forward to your latest creation! Thanks for continuing to work on OtsAV.

[Jigger]

Lets face it the DJ market is small, Ots needs more than the DJ Market, I can see  where they are coming from, of course it is  important to DJs, but the market is small compared to the other areas they cover. I think if Ots only relied on the DJ market they wouldn't be around today, you can see from Adam's and Steve's recent posts the amount of people taking advantage of the recent offer not just single licences but multiples, not many djs will be doing that.
Be honest a lot of so called DJs dip in to the business, do it as cheap as they can often with illegal software then just fade away, those that want to do it properly will buy good software and work hard to achieve high standards and a good business.