Spitfire Audio is definitely a unique company on the spectrum of companies making virtual instruments. They really have a lot of good products, and unique products; but they're also highly involved in building a community, advancing the state-of-the-art, and providing encouragement to people attempting to enter the field. Generosity is part of the picture, and to me, it seems sincere.
It'll be fascinating to observe how all companies in this biz change and evolve as time goes on. There will be new ones, and some of the old ones will give up and fall off the map. At this point in time, Spitfire Audio seems to really be positioning themselves for the long haul.
In the immediate future, I think we are going to see some extremely intense price competition. The sales are coming fast and furious, and newly released products are hitting the market at prices that would have been unthinkable a short time ago. Ultimately, how is this going to affect the market? Also, a LOT of the products that have been out on the market for years are still very valid and useable. Companies can most likely sell them at very low prices to harvest some additional revenue. So, for someone coming into this field, fresh, a lot of capability will be available for a very small investment. Will the increase in competition and continual lowering of prices stifle the desire of companies to make major investments in creating new products?
Ultimately, there's going to be a shakeout. The amount of media music needed is finite. The market can't offer a good career making music to all entrants. And, the increasing availability of powerful and easy-to-use-tools will accelerate the race to the bottom in terms of compensation for making music with these tools. Everyone is going to have to just try to hang on.
glad I added it in the 11th hour....
