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FWIW a while ago I decided to publish a free + IAP version of my iOS photo/video effects app, which was previously a paid-only app. At first the results were a

FWIW a while ago I decided to publish a free + IAP version of my iOS photo/video effects app, which was previously a paid-only app. At first the results were a bit disappointing but over time it's grown to generate about three times the revenue of the paid app, and about 20 times the overall user base. I'm sure it's true that freemium is not a panacea but it's worked for me. http://plastaq.com/liquidlens/ http://plastaq.com/liquidlens/

archagon 11y ago
Hey, this is off-topic, but I'm working on an app that's in the same market as yours. (MIDI-based DAW-ish thing with an emphasis on ease-of-use. I don't think my app would be competing with any of yours.) If you're willing to share your thoughts, how easy was it get the number of users for, say, Sythe as it has now? Did you do any marketing? Was the relatively high price point ever a problem? Are you considering freemium for that one, too? I was hoping that I could mostly wing it and just make a nice video and send out some review copies to people who might be interested. The music app market seems small enough where this might be possible. But this is just me guessing, and it would be great to hear from someone who's actually had some success in the space. Anyway, loving your design aesthetic! Will give Sythe a download as soon as I charge up my phone. (And, obviously, if this is information you're not willing to share, then no hard feelings! Just thought I'd ask.)
- cageface 11y ago
  To be honest, Scythe was a huge amount of work and brings in about half of the revenue of my photo effects app, which took about 1/10th of the time to write. Knowing what I know now I would never write another iPad app again, and I'm not sure I'd write another serious music app. If I do decide to write any more music software I'll target the VST plugin market, where people are still willing to pay $99+ for a good instrument. It's a shame because I think the iPad has tremendous potential as a platform for music making but it seems like the volume just isn't there to make up for the low price points users expect for iOS apps. One thing I would do differently if I started from scratch on Scythe today though is make the base app free and make up the difference with IAP preset packs and additional features.
  - archagon 11y ago
    Thank you for your insight! It's too bad Scythe isn't as lucrative as you hoped... seems like it's hard to get serious software noticed in the App Store over free, bite-sized entertainment apps. Incidentally, my app is targeting the iPad as well, but I don't really mind the business reprecussions: I'm writing it for my own personal use above all else, and I wanted to give my trusty old iPad 3 something useful to do instead of just serving as a very expensive web browser. I was thinking of going Lite/Pro, but perhaps freemium might be better after all; I just really don't philosophically like the idea of charging for individual features, especailly when they're part of the MIDI standard already. (But that's just business, I guess.) There's been a lot of talk recently about the iPad languishing, and it seems that Apple is taking notice. Would not surprise me if they made more of a marketing push towards promoting iPad apps in the coming years, especially with the possible arrival of the iPad Pro.[1][2] Crazy that the VST market can be so lucrative! It makes me happy that some people are still willing to pay a fair price for their "workhorse" software. [1]: http://www.macrumors.com/2015/02/08/apple-ipad-grammys/ http://www.macrumors.com/2015/02/08/apple-ipad-grammys/ [2]: http://www.macrumors.com/2014/12/31/apple-expands-start-something-new-campaign/ http://www.macrumors.com/2014/12/31/apple-expands-start-some...
    - cageface 11y ago
      The VST market isn't really lucrative. I have it on good authority that most plugins sell at most 200 copies. Music software is also very challenging to write because it combines multi-threading with soft-realtime requirements. So any programmer good enough to write non-trivial music software can easily make more money with fewer headaches writing almost any other kind of app. So I'd say the only good reason to write music software really is just for the enjoyment of doing it. As for myself, as much as I enjoy writing music software I enjoy making music more and it seems like I only really have the mental energy for one or the other.

archagon 11y ago

Hey, this is off-topic, but I'm working on an app that's in the same market as yours. (MIDI-based DAW-ish thing with an emphasis on ease-of-use. I don't think my app would be competing with any of yours.) If you're willing to share your thoughts, how easy was it get the number of users for, say, Sythe as it has now? Did you do any marketing? Was the relatively high price point ever a problem? Are you considering freemium for that one, too? I was hoping that I could mostly wing it and just make a nice video and send out some review copies to people who might be interested. The music app market seems small enough where this might be possible. But this is just me guessing, and it would be great to hear from someone who's actually had some success in the space. Anyway, loving your design aesthetic! Will give Sythe a download as soon as I charge up my phone. (And, obviously, if this is information you're not willing to share, then no hard feelings! Just thought I'd ask.)

cageface 11y ago
To be honest, Scythe was a huge amount of work and brings in about half of the revenue of my photo effects app, which took about 1/10th of the time to write. Knowing what I know now I would never write another iPad app again, and I'm not sure I'd write another serious music app. If I do decide to write any more music software I'll target the VST plugin market, where people are still willing to pay $99+ for a good instrument. It's a shame because I think the iPad has tremendous potential as a platform for music making but it seems like the volume just isn't there to make up for the low price points users expect for iOS apps. One thing I would do differently if I started from scratch on Scythe today though is make the base app free and make up the difference with IAP preset packs and additional features.
- archagon 11y ago
  Thank you for your insight! It's too bad Scythe isn't as lucrative as you hoped... seems like it's hard to get serious software noticed in the App Store over free, bite-sized entertainment apps. Incidentally, my app is targeting the iPad as well, but I don't really mind the business reprecussions: I'm writing it for my own personal use above all else, and I wanted to give my trusty old iPad 3 something useful to do instead of just serving as a very expensive web browser. I was thinking of going Lite/Pro, but perhaps freemium might be better after all; I just really don't philosophically like the idea of charging for individual features, especailly when they're part of the MIDI standard already. (But that's just business, I guess.) There's been a lot of talk recently about the iPad languishing, and it seems that Apple is taking notice. Would not surprise me if they made more of a marketing push towards promoting iPad apps in the coming years, especially with the possible arrival of the iPad Pro.[1][2] Crazy that the VST market can be so lucrative! It makes me happy that some people are still willing to pay a fair price for their "workhorse" software. [1]: http://www.macrumors.com/2015/02/08/apple-ipad-grammys/ http://www.macrumors.com/2015/02/08/apple-ipad-grammys/ [2]: http://www.macrumors.com/2014/12/31/apple-expands-start-something-new-campaign/ http://www.macrumors.com/2014/12/31/apple-expands-start-some...
  - cageface 11y ago
    The VST market isn't really lucrative. I have it on good authority that most plugins sell at most 200 copies. Music software is also very challenging to write because it combines multi-threading with soft-realtime requirements. So any programmer good enough to write non-trivial music software can easily make more money with fewer headaches writing almost any other kind of app. So I'd say the only good reason to write music software really is just for the enjoyment of doing it. As for myself, as much as I enjoy writing music software I enjoy making music more and it seems like I only really have the mental energy for one or the other.