Isn't the fundamental problem here that the pie is not getting bigger?
Sibelius had the luxury of learning from Finale's mistakes. Its original features list was a litany of Finale's (then) shortcomings. Apparently its entire reason for existing and strategy for growth was to be the answer to Finale's problems. I can't tell you how many Sib users who have told me flat-out this was their reason for using Sibelius: notably Sib's posterchild, John Rutter.
So Sibelius has growth potential as long as there is a large number of Finale users. (I almost said "dissatisfied" Finale users, but that seems to go without saying.) :-)
Meanwhile, I suspect Finale has a poor track record of stealing users from Sibelius. I do not say this because I think Sib is better or worse. I'm just reporting my personal impressions of fact. If it is true, then Finale's only potential for growth is to grow their market, and that growth will not happen in the pure notation arena.
I believe Finale's fundamental dilemma is manifest in their upgrades of late. They are diversifying Finale and integrating it with a suite of products, notably Smart Music. (Smart Music is an amazing educational tool and is potentially if not actually the crown jewel in MM's portfolio.) I would not be surprised to see them develop or buy an audio/midi program (or integrate closely with a 3rd party) and move into that domain.
If MM's strategy works, then Finale will be around a long, long time. However, it may no longer be the program of choice for high-end engravers. (Although that remains to be seen as well.) In any case, much as I personally wish MM would stick to notation needs for Finale, I believe MM has chosen the best (perhaps only) strategy with which they can grow and prosper.
Matthew Hindson Fastmail Account wrote:
...if I had to make a prediction about which application will still be around in 5-10 years, I think it would be Sibelius. It's caught up in most areas to Finale and in some areas, such as House Styles, its Setup Wizard and the new Dynamic Parts, has well and truly surpassed it.
-- Robert Patterson http://RobertGPatterson.com _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
