In my opinion, scale is a really big deal, perhaps even the critical one, because scale is almost always reinforced by multiple additional layers, many of which can be monetized - workflow familiarity (Cubase), low cost (Reaper, MuseScore), inertia (Finale, Sibelius), or the number of add-ons (plugins) or perhaps even versions of popular sound libraries scripted for Dorico. From what I understand Steinberg always had sales and later converted a large amount of those users. By accident or by design, it was also around this time that Steinberg launched the VST protocol, which became the industry standard almost overnight - there was a large ready-made market for developers who took a chance on it. Apparently, there was a period in the 1990s when the e-licenser was cracked, and Cubase was thought to have become the most downloaded DAW in Europe, ME and Asia. open source) how do you make a business out of that?”
But I vividly recall in the early 1990s struggling with this very question: “If you develop software and give it away for free (i.e.
