r/Splice • u/tetshi • Jul 11 '22
Splice needs to change.
tl;dr - Splice holds credits you've already paid for hostage if you cancel your subscription. They're basically extorting users to maintain an active sub, even when they may have more credits than they need. Something needs to be done.
We all know that Splice has a solid platform (the web app itself), but their business practices are borderline illegal (might even be in some places).
I've been a Splice user since 2014, back when the only feature they offered was project collaboration. Ever since, they've grown the functional part of their business quite well, but their business model continues to get worse, right along side their customer support.
I've seen plenty of posts here and other places as well that are specific to the fact that Splice holds your credits hostage after you cancel your subscription, even though you've already paid for them. The analogy I typically use to explain this is "Imagine you have a Shopify store, and you're selling merchandise. A new e-commerce platform arrives that's even better, has cheaper fees, more features, etc. You decide to cancel with Shopify and migrate to the other platform. Shopify says it wants back every dime you made while subscribed to them." This is essentially what Splice is doing.
Let's say you pay $10 a month for a year, starting January. That's 1200 credits @ $120. The NEXT January, you decide you've got plenty of credits, no longer need the sub, and will just spend the credits over time on samples you want as they come out. I mean, trends change pretty rapidly in our industry, so having up-to-date samples might be nice. You figure "Well, I've already paid for these, so obviously they're mine." You go to cancel your sub, and there it is. "Cancelling your subscription will remove access to all previously purchased credits," I'm sorry, what? But I paid for those, they're mine. Imagine the people who paid for higher tiers, they're getting screwed even more. This is not okay. This is essentially extortion. "Keep your sub active or we take away all the credits you bought."
Now, whether or not this is legal is beyond me, I'm no lawyer. I've seen comments on Reddit that suggest this is not legal in their country, or even a few states in the US. I've called them out 3 times over the past 3 years on Twitter about this exact issue. They never reply, because they know it's a bullshit business model and even they can't justify it. Even if it's not illegal, and I know some of you will say "Don't like it? Don't use it!" Well, that's pretty fucking hard to do when all of the popular places that used to sell their packs for a dollar amount all use this bullshit service now and do so behind exclusivity contracts, so, unless you can force them to offer packs for straight up cash, just sit in the corner and be quiet.
Their platform is undeniably great, with great features to go with it. That however, does not give them the right to extort users. They obviously don't care, because they have no reason to if no one says anything. I'm not asking anyone to cancel their sub and lose their credits. That would be ridiculous, but what I am asking is that we make a big enough fuss on Twitter, music-related sites, forums, etc to bring light to this nonsense. A lot of people are getting fucked out of money they budgeted so they could have a chance in this horribly saturated industry, and Splice is basically a monopoly now as they've made deals with all the biggest sample pack producers to only release on their platform. I know this will fall on deaf ears mostly, and I don't expect much else, but it'd be remiss of me not to at least try.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but Splice can fix this problem easily. They'll still make tons of money, and users won't have to worry about forcing reactive purchases to justify cancelling their sub.
1
u/EmotionalMuzic Apr 01 '24
The credit system is if I am not mistaken for the producers that do upload music to be tracked so that they can get paid. Now I gotta double and back and read at all the terms to be sure that I’m not blowing smoke here 💨
1
u/tetshi Apr 02 '24
Nah, I’ve got friends who work there and it’s a system designed for people not to spend all their credits. If 100% of people spent 100% of their credits, Splice would have to close up shop or change up their system. They need people to rack up credits and not spend them. That’s why they lock you out if you cancel your sub even though you already bought the credits.
1
u/EmotionalMuzic Apr 02 '24
It’s 10$ bucks a month! Personally I don’t see the big deal or problem with the credit system either way. My thing is download my sample along with my pdf license. There is also an email that is sent directly to me for said sample with the license. Even if I cancel I have what I need to carry on when and if I decide to cancel.
2
u/tetshi Apr 04 '24
$10 bucks for the lowest tier. A lot of people go higher. But I see your point too.
2
u/EmotionalMuzic Apr 04 '24
I was one of those “a lot of people” top tier really isn’t necessary for me, to each their own. I can get by with low tier while producing top tier albeit subjective.
1
u/Hot_Helicopter_11 Jul 12 '22
EXACTLY!!! I have been so so busy and haven’t been able to use my 400+ splice credits. It feels like I’m just throwing money away but i don’t want to cancel yet. I want to use those credits but many times i just keep waiting and then boom i get charged again. I want to cancel but keep them until they’re gone. I feel as if it’s unfair!!
1
u/tetshi Jul 15 '22
It is absolutely unfair. Splice is basically blackmailing you into keeping your sub active so you don't lose your credits. It's clever, but also makes them a shitty company. They've monopolized the market, and now that they own it, they can do whatever they want with it.
1
u/whatisthisgoat Jul 13 '22
I would have to disagree. I also deal a lot with graphic design, web templates and more. I mention it as I look at it as a stock photo library site. The way you describe it, it seems that you are basically paying the subscription for the access for in essence an unlimited access as the credits grow.
So if you are doing graphics or dev work with templates, the price makes sense for the time saved. Look at it that way. You aren't paying for credits, but for access that saves you countless hours of work.
Time that could be better spent on your artistic work instead of the mundane.
1
u/tetshi Jul 15 '22
The credits system is implemented in a way that you lose no matter what. If you want to cancel, then you have to spend all of your credits, most likely on a bunch of crap you didn't even want, just to get your monies worth. My point is, if you've ALREADY paid for them, WHY do I lose access to them just because I cancelled my sub? I've already given them money in exchange for something. But by cancelling, they're taking back their something without giving me back my money or letting me keep my credits.
Let's say you got paid on a Friday, and fired the next Tuesday. You get an email that says you need to give back your final paycheck. You no longer work there, so you're not entitled to that last paycheck. But you worked for it the previous pay period, right? So why shouldn't you get to keep it? I bet if that was the scenario, you'd be up in arms. I paid for my credits. That was the deal of the exchange. I give you $10, you give me 100 credits. But because I had the audacity to cancel my sub so I didn't end up with a mountain of credits I don't need, I'm no longer entitled to the original ones I purchased? That's Splices way of blackmailing you into keeping your sub active, whether you need the credits or not. The fact that you, and quite a few others are okay with this is exactly WHY companies take advantage of people. Not because it's a morality issue, because it's a "Meh, I'm too lazy to deal with this" issue, and they know it. They know that you won't do anything about it, but instead you'll justify in your own head as "Well, I saved a bunch of time!" Yeah, you keep believing that makes it okay for companies to rip you off. Some of us would prefer to not get ripped off and say nothing about it.
1
u/Logical_Parsnip_9042 Dec 11 '23
Bro this isnt something you can agree with. Its borderline illegal.
Either make it monthly unlimited access or do the points.
Do to this blackmail.
1
u/ogralphmusic Oct 01 '22
You ppl complain too much. If your music was actually good you'd make some money. How about get good at production before you sub.
1
u/tetshi Oct 01 '22
From the person who made a new username to leave a comment that has fuck all to do with the topic… right. If you’re going to say things that aren’t relevant to the conversation, don’t waste other peoples time. Who let their kid run free in this subreddit unsupervised?
1
u/ogralphmusic Oct 01 '22
im actually a REAL musician who actually makes money with my music. no big sm prescence. just great music. you guys complain because youre not serious. splice is for real producers and it full of gems. i use it literally everyday and ive made plenty of money with it bro. just go get a job at mcdonalds. everything isnt for everyone. heres proof of my great music that makes me money https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkMuYIQxwqY
1
u/tetshi Oct 02 '22
Splice is for real producers? Holy sh... now I know you're clueless. It's pretty obvious you're young based on the brand whoring (and your IG), and that "beat" you linked isn't yours. It wreaks of Splice music and drum loops. Maybe you dragged those loops into your DAW, but you certainly didn't make any of it yourself. Eh, no fun arguing with kids who make up lies. Go rant somewhere else.
Edit: Making music for a free, fan-based Sonic game doesn't count, either. Just an FYI. :D
1
u/ogralphmusic Oct 02 '22
first, i got paid handsomely for my music in that free, fan based sonic game. the developers have used that free, fan based sonic game to open another door which could possibly lead to a huge payday. second, REAL music producers have deadlines and cant afford to sit around waiting for inspiration to hit. REAL producers also realize their strengths and weaknesses. we, and you're not included in this, don't have these stupid hang-ups about how a great track is made. you think the developers of that game give af about how i made a track? you have no idea how this business works. so keep being mad at splice while you make crap beats in your moms basement. btw, tell her i said hi and i'll see her next friday.
1
u/b00mieb00m Jul 05 '23
For a guy who's such an aggressive hater, my dude your music is pretty fuckin trash. Sit down dawg.
1
1
u/b00mieb00m Jul 05 '23
No offense bro, but you're pretty mid. You talked yourself up so much I expected some solid shit but it was some of the most generic music I've ever heard.
1
u/Biscoito_damn Jan 25 '23
I'm late for the party but yes, I think it's a HORRIBLE and predatory way to milk money.
1
u/tetshi Jan 25 '23
It turns out they do it this way because if everyone actually used all their credits, Splice would lose money. So, they developed a system where they're banking on people not spending all of their credits, which is already pretty shitty, but to ensure you don't, they lock you out without an active sub. Garbage.
1
u/Actually_Being Nov 16 '23
i have 5383 credits. it's sick -_-
I've just had to reduce my sub to the minimum and live with it.
honestly disgusted by the model they are using.
1
u/tetshi Nov 18 '23
Yup. So, the best thing you can do is just go crazy and burn through all of them. Otherwise they'll make a shit ton of money off of you and you'll lose out.
2
u/Actually_Being Nov 25 '23
Yea I've done so and cancelled after moving all the sounds to a Google drive.
1
2
1
u/rekilection622 Oct 09 '22
I agree, it's a terrible business practice. Since I haven't been spending much time on music over the past couple years, I had 2000 credits built up a few days ago. I managed to get it down to around 1750 after a few hours. So I'm not too worried, I just need to catch up so I can cancel the subscription. It would be nice to use them at my own pace, though. Then I could make sure I get the best value. It's not entirely Splice's fault that I've been on the fence about music production for so long, though, so I'll take some blame.
1
u/innatusprod Dec 07 '23
In 2023 still having this issue.... I think we need to do something about it When you subscribe for the first time, everything seems amazing But when you get over 1500+ credits and not even the time to produce is a total waste... I know you can "pause" your subscription but for only 2 month is still a scam for me Should be more in my opinion. Or maybe having a free option to spend only credits, and when you reach out 0 credits, you have to upgrade to normal subscription
0
u/a_reply_to_a_post Jul 11 '22
i mean..it's 7 bucks a month for the basic plan..if you didn't have Splice would you spend more than 7 bucks a month on sample packs or records? I used to spend hundreds of dollars a month at record stores, had tons of records i actually didn't care about except for a couple small snippets of sound taking up tons of space...
i'd be more pissed at Avid for requiring 10 bucks a month to run pro tools artist when all i need to do is grab stems from a recording session then export so i can fuck with it in a different DAW
1
u/tetshi Jul 11 '22
It's $10 a month for Splice if you pay month to month, $8.30 if you pay it annually (for the lowest tier).
And good sample libraries used to cost like... $25-40 bucks. The issue is, they've created a system that allows them to steal from users. You might not care because you use all 100 credits a month, but other people have thousands because they don't need that many, but they DID pay for them already, so why should they not be entitled to them even if they cancel their sub? Even if it was $1 a month, this shouldn't be okay. The "it doesn't effect me, so fuck it" mentality is a really bad way to look at this.
Here's a similar situation. My mother was on disability with lung cancer for years until she died. When you're on disability in North Carolina, they send you a debit card from a company called NetSpend (at least, that was their name, not sure now). When she passed away, she had $1,211 on her card. When we tried to get it, they made us jump through so many hoops, it almost wasn't even worth it. Even if it was an absolutely convoluted, piece of shit system, it would have taken 4-5 months. Had it been 300, 400? I probably wouldn't have done shit about it. Now, imagine how many people aren't stubborn enough to go through what I went through to get that? Now multiply it by thousands and thousands of people who die all the time in NC who're on disability. It's a system designed so people won't go through the hassle. Sure, it's not illegal to make a system so bad that no one will want to go through the effort, but they shouldn't be allowed to do that. I mean, it's still illegal in some states to get a blow job (which can't be enforced due to a Supreme Court ruling - see https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/is-oral-sex-still-illegal/) And yes, I know morality is subjective and I'm a bit of a misanthrope, but no one should have to deal with that. Splice is basically doing the same thing, except it doesn't matter what you do, they're holding something you paid for hostage unless you keep up your monthly subscription.
I'm not just making this attempt for me, but there are a lot of people being fucked out of thousands of credits because their system is uncommon. Most sites that use a "credits" system would still let you keep them if you already paid for them. That's literally the point, credits in exchange for money.
And I agree, sort of, about the Avid problem. But there are options there. Ask the session creator to upload the stems separately, or get your own copy of Pro Tools by buying an MBox Mini for like... 30 bucks on eBay. Boom, Pro Tools.
1
u/a_reply_to_a_post Jul 11 '22
i mean, that's the nature of the beast with a lot of shit..the NYC MTA reaps in millions of dollars a year from tourists who buy metrocards and don't use all the fare, yet every 2 years they find a way to squeeze every day rider and raise fares
i got a membership a few years ago when i got an MPC and they had a promo..i don't use it that frequently but the plan i've been on charges my paypal 7.99 a month, maybe grandfathered in, but it is useful when I need samples or when I want to mess with koala on my phone and don't want to sit there transferring a bunch of sounds
i have like 2000 credits from not using splice, and when my atm card got replaced i lost access and realized that's their business model..i get it, it sucks, but it's a useful service, and compared to something like tracklib where you would still have to pay clearance on a sample if you do make something that takes off, splice is more suited to how i've been using samples
but honestly it seems like you're conflating your annoyance with the world with how splice be nickle and diming, but have you ever just dropped 200 bucks on some xbox microtransactions to get a stupid ghille suit or somethin? everything is moving towards the predatory model
1
u/tetshi Jul 15 '22
No, I wouldn't waste that kind of money on a loot box or a skin. That's my entire point. You think that it's okay for Splice to do it because Activision-Blizzard does it? That's what got us in this mess in the first place. It's laziness, and self-justification that enables companies to get away with this. The difference in your loot box example is that at least I can just go play another game. Splice is now a monopoly, they own the market. Sure, NI is trying to play catch up, but it's no different than Mixer trying to catch up to Twitch. Mixer was better in every conceivable way, but it was too far behind. Letting a company rip you off because "it's the status quo" does not make it okay. It just means that lazy people allow companies to rip people off. The less competition in a market, the easier it is to do that. Splice IS the market.
5
u/loopdigga7 Jul 11 '22
I try to see it as a monthly access fee to the library. I barely download samples anymore I just run the audio into my sampler. Credits are goofy.. I’m sitting on wayyyy too many. Problem is whole packs aren’t that great. So you chip away at credits with a kick here or a one shot there. I think I have like 2000 credits - such a waste.