Keith Cocker
Senior Member
They look pretty healthy to me. And I envy their tax bill.
Spitfire business things
- Thread starter thereus
- Start date
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ALittleNightMusic
Composer / Developer
The market of potential customers for Spitfire is far, far larger than the Vi-C members. There are so many music makers in other genres that would benefit from the libraries and synths. And every day, there's many new people around the world starting to make music. There's no reason to believe Spitfire is in a diminishing market going forward.
As Mike said, they probably took some strategic investment bets in 2023 in terms of production costs and I imagine we'll see the fruits of that labor this year. You gotta spend money to make money.
As Mike said, they probably took some strategic investment bets in 2023 in terms of production costs and I imagine we'll see the fruits of that labor this year. You gotta spend money to make money.
Guy Rowland
Senior Member
That would potentially change things because their core business feels like more of the same at the moment.
ALittleNightMusic
Composer / Developer
Well, they just released MG Soft Guitar, Eric Whitacre Contrast, Trevor Horn's Jupiter, and Albion Colossus in the past 12 months. Those don't seem like doing the same thing. And have much broader application than "traditional" orchestral libraries.
Guy Rowland
Senior Member
Not to be a misery and not saying they're bad libraries but a guitar, another Eric Whitacre choral library, another artist collection and another Albion isn't wildly revolutionary to me.
sourcefor
Senior Member
I believe that business and personal beliefs should be seperate and I refuse to get on board with cancel culture, transfobism, etc. I think everyone is entitled to their opinions and should be allowed to voice them without consequence! If a product is good then it’s good! Any person should be allowed to believe what they believe! I also believe in live and let live, it’s none of my business what goes on in peoples personal lives and has nothing to do with what I purchase! I personally love Spitfire’s products and use them on a daily basis, I will not condemn a company or person for their political or cultural beliefs! All this social media is the downfall of our society and a feel sorry for people with kids as is especially difficult to raise them in this current environment!
quickbrownf0x
I had fun once. It was awful.
I haven't bought anything from Spitfire in ages, partly because of what @Guy Rowland says and, another because (for the price) there are way better (performing) alternatives these days. All this BBCSO, AR-stuff... it's all a bit mêh.
Then there's the marketing strategy that often gives me a seriously bad case of explosive diarrhea. Hyping things up like the next product's going to solve the crisis in the Middle East, be the best thing since sliced bread, only to find you're getting fourty mic positions (now, with extra outrigger mics on the bog at Air! Occasionally you can even hear Jake Johnson build a dookie castle when you hit a middle C. I hear it's at round robin number two) and yet another string library recorded and chopped up at some well-known room, with only two dynamic layers or something.
Also, who goes to Spitfire for a synth vst? Why not go straight to I dunno, U-he, Arturia or Spectrasonics?
But sure, maybe like @ALittleNightMusic says I'm no longer(?) their main target audience. I've got CSS, OT Berlin, maybe I'll get some VSL in the future, I have all the synths I need to basically anything... I'm good. 
Then there's the marketing strategy that often gives me a seriously bad case of explosive diarrhea. Hyping things up like the next product's going to solve the crisis in the Middle East, be the best thing since sliced bread, only to find you're getting fourty mic positions (now, with extra outrigger mics on the bog at Air! Occasionally you can even hear Jake Johnson build a dookie castle when you hit a middle C. I hear it's at round robin number two) and yet another string library recorded and chopped up at some well-known room, with only two dynamic layers or something.
Also, who goes to Spitfire for a synth vst? Why not go straight to I dunno, U-he, Arturia or Spectrasonics?
But sure, maybe like @ALittleNightMusic says I'm no longer(?) their main target audience. I've got CSS, OT Berlin, maybe I'll get some VSL in the future, I have all the synths I need to basically anything... I'm good.
Henrik B. Jensen
Senior Member
Wow, I didn't know VI Control was full of accountants - how cool is that! 
Henrik B. Jensen
Senior Member
Spitfire’s made an unknown amount of recordings in Abbey Road for their new flagship range which no doubt has cost them a small fortune.
Maybe that plays a part in Spitfire getting a deficit last year.
Maybe that plays a part in Spitfire getting a deficit last year.
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jbuhler
Senior Member
I assume that first statement should read "Abbey Road," not AIR Studios, unless you are far more privy to the next thing on the SF horizon than I am!
Yep
Alex Fraser
Senior Member
Those expenses are eye watering and there’s only so many moet baths Paul can have.
I’m assuming that’s a big ‘ol chunk of scoring stage hire.
Aside, I wonder if Paul and Christian ever considered that VIC would be pouring over their company accounts when they gave birth to Spitfire on these same boards so many years back.
I’m assuming that’s a big ‘ol chunk of scoring stage hire.
Aside, I wonder if Paul and Christian ever considered that VIC would be pouring over their company accounts when they gave birth to Spitfire on these same boards so many years back.
Macrawn
Senior Member
What exactly is Hensen's his role now? I see him with another sort of start up thing he seems to be doing. Seems clear that he was the innovator at Spitfire and since he has been less active they haven't made anything I really want to buy. He was sort of behind most of what I was liking about Spitfire in recent years.
lettucehat
Senior Member
For one thing, libraries take years to develop, and he hasn't been gone long on that kind of scale. ARO is very much his project, and while we can speculate on just how much better they might have been with him still around, no one knows. The enormous cost is something I'm sure they committed to long before he left. Would people be more hyped on them? Maybe, he did have that effect on people.
Being less interested in their recent output, which is also the case for me, doesn't say much to me about how innovative their recent products have been. I didn't get SSO because it was innovative, or pretty much anything else in their catalog. Is a well recorded, realistic Abbey Road Orchestra innovative? I don't know, is that something they're supposed to be?
Their bread and butter is orchestral and 'cinematic' sampling, and that whole realm is experiencing diminishing returns because there are so many great products out already, and they aren't going anywhere.
Land of Missing Parts
Grumpy Monkey
Who knows.
A whole lot of speculation was also going on about ARO "High Strings Legato". And how accurate did that turn out to be? (Spitfire was taking a blowback for not releasing a customer-imagined library. And they eventually just made the library for real.)
Sometimes it takes a bit of guts to admit when a situation is just unknowable. Because you have nowhere near complete information, end up over-reading the little bits you do have, and then letting whims tug you around.
A whole lot of speculation was also going on about ARO "High Strings Legato". And how accurate did that turn out to be? (Spitfire was taking a blowback for not releasing a customer-imagined library. And they eventually just made the library for real.)
Sometimes it takes a bit of guts to admit when a situation is just unknowable. Because you have nowhere near complete information, end up over-reading the little bits you do have, and then letting whims tug you around.
I think 'The Event' is symptomatic of a number of growing problems across the spectrum where creativity is increasingly stifled by corporate lackeys with the imagination of a gnat. Crow Hill, on the other hand, seems to be going from strength to strength. Oh, the irony. There is no sweeter taste than revenge ...
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TinderC
Supplicant ... for now
I wish Spitfire well but I sense that there is a bit of a trend recently to get individual instruments from smaller developers for $50-$100 where the instruments have 'personality' particularly in their playability. I think OT has tapped into this a bit by allowing us to buy individual instruments directly from SINE.
muk
Senior Member
One thing that has improved since Mr. Henson left is the marketing, in my opinion. It seems the recklessly overhyped and drawn out marketing campaigns with trailers for anouncement's announcement were his input. Since he left, the constant shouting in our faces of their marketing has ceases. It's very much toned down to a sensible level now. Instead, Crow Hill are doing it now - if on a much smaller scale. For all the good Mr. Henson did at Spitfire, I am glad that the overblown marketing is gone.
1) could be the ex-CEO Will Evans.
"Revenue for the year... was lower than the prior... a continuation of the expected decrease in e-commerce following the peak activity during covid pandemic". They anticipated a decline in turnover and probably have a longer term strategy thats in action currently, meaning a bigger hit this year for future benefit. I don't think the company has been merely fumbling along with it's eyes closed.
It would be wise to remember that tweet-gate occurred mid-February23, so that event and the subsequent fallout only really had an effect on 6 weeks of trading for these accounts. CH was very much at the helm and in control for the vast majority of these accounts April 22 > March 23.
Accounts April 23 to now will be far more indicative.
