Musio reinvented: 3rd party devs and discontinuation of Musio 1

[Guy Rowland]

Somehow as a Musio lifetime subscriber I missed this. Big changes! Musio 1 is to be discontinued on October 12, 2025.

Here is how Musio will work from here on:

MUSIO ESSENTIALS
35 free instruments (more to come)
Free instrument and platform updates

MUSIO+
Monthly / Annual subscriptions
2,300 instruments (more to come)

MARKETPLACE
Libraries for outright purchase from:
Cinesamples
ProjectSAM
Soundiron
AudioOllie

Musio 1 will continue for everyone who has purchased as a bundle of instruments, including all instrument and platform updates. All the existing Musio 1 content will be separately available to new customers for purchase. To give a flavour of the new pricing:

CinePerc Orchestral £36.35
CineStrings Core £73.46
CineBrass Core £73.46

Those on a lifetime plan will effectively switch to lifetime Musio+ (this is not available as a new purchase option). They will NOT get third party libraries included (which, to be fair, was never a possibility when those who bought them like myself). To give an idea of 3rd party pricing:

Soundiron Emotional Piano £88.30
Soundiron Apocalypse Percussion Ensemble £147.66
AudiioOllie LA Modern Percussion £73.46
ProjectSAM True Strike £117.98 (nb - this currently is the only available ProjectSAM library)

NEW MUSIO+ INSTRUMENTS AND FEATURES
In terms of new non-third party material available to Musio+ and lifetime subscribers, there is a South African Choir; CineLegacy Harp and some basic sampled drum machines. More libraries are promised.

Mike Patti (for, yes, he has returned at the helm) has said new features are coming such as tempo-syncing (much needed); mic routing, legato speed control.

Q&A video
https://www.youtube.com/live/ZOf4OmSiwgY

THOUGHTS
Overall I think this is a hopeful result. We knew Musio was in serious trouble, they laid off virtually all staff and new instruments dried up completely. They'd never found a sustainable path and the desperate deals felt... well, desperate. An urgent this-or-bust need for cashflow.

Introducing third party content feels important. Right now it's largely not super-tempting next to the Kontakt alternatives however. There's also no way to buy an individual instrument (as there is in, say, Orchestral Tools Sine). There was no way they were every going to match Musio 1 in a Musio 2, so changing that model makes sense and it feels like a bargain again for those who have it. Grabbing it now is $399, considerably more than the cheapest it ever went for.

I hope the platform is finally on its sustainable footing. The need for compelling new features and instruments won't go away....

https://musio.com/

[Tanuj Tiku]

I have always been intrigued by Musio but never liked the 'All you can eat buffet' menu. I did not like mush of their new lineup either.

The inclusion of ProjectSam is interesting. The others are not very relevant these days and perhaps banding together makes sense. I would avoid putting money into any subscription packages and wait to see AI products that may be around the corner. I think many companies are going to sadly die and we may be entering a new age in sampling and/or generative sampling.

After having spent some time with Melisma, it seems that it is only a matter of time when somebody will come out with a new thing that will make much of this obsolete.

I will of course buy individual sample libraries when I need them but investing in a whole new ecosystem that you think may last years is a very uncertain bet now.

I also don't think the price is a bargain. It only shows that either the company is in huge trouble and unlikely to support anything in the future or the product is not that great and cheaply made. 2,500 instruments at one go may be a death sentence for people starting out. You need fewer things to make music with, especially in the early years.