Premium, Premium Plus - are we on the way to premium accounts for all?

[Qie Niangao]

I agree with all the reasons free-to-play is important to SL but we might also consider what the Premium subscription is from LL's business perspective.

Although Mainland is one conspicuous benefit many Premium subscribers value highly (and it's expensive for the Lab to keep all those pixel parcels lit up) the real purpose of Premium is to monetize the L$ through stipends. Remember that usually, residents spending L$s doesn't book revenue to LL's bottom line, and even buying and selling L$s is almost all resident-to-resident transactions. The sole exception to this is when Supply Linden sells L$s on the LindeX to keep the currency from becoming too expensive which is how Marketplace fees, for example, indirectly earn some income for the Lab despite being denominated in L$s. Throwing L$s down the sinks creates demand for new L$s, satisfied either by those LindeX sales by Supply, or by stipends paid for by US$-denominated Premium subscriptions.

It would be possible to unbundle Premium, but it takes some smart marketing to keep from killing the goose that laid the golden egg. Not everybody needs Mainland, not everybody values stipends, nor all the other bundled benefits. If they were to make the current bundled Premium subscription mandatory, it would not only cut population but also drastically cut demand for Estate land, even for the remaining few, who'd be paying for Mainland/Linden Homes whether they wanted to or not. Unbundling, though... gotta be careful. For example, offer a lower fee for a no-stipend subscription? Sounds tempting, but LL would suddenly lose one big, predictable revenue stream monetizing the L$.

[Qie Niangao]

15 hours ago, Marianne Little said:

The group bonus only work if I have all the land in one Mainland region. If I am not lucky enough for that, forget group bonus.

This is probably obvious, but although group bonus may only have practical benefit within one Mainland region for modest-sized land holdings, tier is tier, so if enough land is group-owned, the bonus tier can be enough for additional useful parcel(s) on other regions, or to free up enough tier to own a non-group Linden Home.

[Marianne Little]

14 hours ago, Doc Carling said:

As I mentioned before. My land rent is about 50 USD monthly therefore about 600 per year. I get 3750 prims for that. So 1500 sounds pretty modest.

I rent the same amount of land as 4 Premium accounts: 3600 L monthly. I lose 4800 L from the stipends that my 4 avatars get. That is 8400L/35 USD monthly. This cover the 2 main reasons for me to be Premium: Land and stipend.

35 USD every month is 420 USD yearly. I save 80 USD already there. But I can quit paying that rent anytime I want a break. I can downsize. It is more realistic that I spend 300 - 400 USD yearly on rent/living.

I keep playmoney for hair, bodies, houses out of it. I am an impulsive buyer. I can buy for 100 USD one month and nothing the next.

Paying 50 USD every month only for rent is small money for some, but I can not do that. Financially, I can not be Premium and rent the same time.

I was hoping that Super Premium would offer a super chunk of land as a benefit. I know we are not promised anything, but my mind is buzzing with wishes. In the meantime, I have to consider "ordinary" Premium's worth. Maybe I go back to basic, maybe I continue to be ordinary Premium a bit longer.

A Super Premium that is raising the price and not offering a great deal for land, will totally be a disappointment.

Linden Lab can always try to demand that all players are Premium.

[Marianne Little]

5 minutes ago, Qie Niangao said:

This is probably obvious, but although group bonus may only have practical benefit within one Mainland region for modest-sized land holdings, tier is tier, so if enough land is group-owned, the bonus tier can be enough for additional useful parcel(s) on other regions, or to free up enough tier to own a non-group Linden Home.

It is very difficult to make it work. Mainland is a mess of sizes. I hold 1 Linden Home and mainland for the three other avatars in one region. I can get 84 square m free of tier in another region, but I see it as pointless?

The best for me now would be to get all my land in one plot, in an easy to work with shape like a square or a rectangle. With 1400 Li and use of mesh can it be a very nice plot to play with. I still think the price of 500 USD a year is stiff. Not LL's fault that I have to pay VAT, but it is still 100 USD that goes from my leisure budget. I can not ignore that.

[Alwin Alcott]

15 hours ago, Marianne Little said:

The group bonus only work if I have all the land in one Mainland region.

isn't it the sharing of prims/li works only on one region?, the groupbonus can be spread allover the mainland?

[Doc Carling]

57 minutes ago, Marianne Little said:

Paying 50 USD every month only for rent is small money for some, but I can not do that. Financially, I can not be Premium and rent the same time.

Seems you found a good solution for yourself. I can afford to pay that because I stopped smoking a longer time ago. I use the saved money in SL. Problem is, I have a couple of very nice building which require a 1/4 region. The rent would be about 100 USD. That's too much for me. When the land prices don't change, I have no option to enjoy larger projects ever. That's frustrating. But ok, land prices are a different story.

[FairreLilette]

45 minutes ago, Doc Carling said:

Seems you found a good solution for yourself. I can afford to pay that because I stopped smoking a longer time ago. I use the saved money in SL. Problem is, I have a couple of very nice building which require a 1/4 region. The rent would be about 100 USD. That's too much for me. When the land prices don't change, I have no option to enjoy larger projects ever. That's frustrating. But ok, land prices are a different story.

I'll send you the name of a landlord I use a lot and I'll send it on a notecard so you get it.  She has excellent prices.  We are also friends.  At least see what she can do for you.  She gave me 900 prims for 2700 lindens a month as my first rental and I was there six months.  She has given me a lot of good prices.  I've rented with her three times over my just over 3 years here.  Use some linked mesh too, your land impact will go down.  Link some items if you can too.

Edited October 15, 2020 by FairreLilette

[Doc Carling]

4 minutes ago, FairreLilette said:

I'll send you the name of a landlord I use a lot and I'll send it on a notecard so you get it.  She has excellent prices.  We are also friends.  At least see what she can do for you.  She gave me 900 prims for 2700 lindens a month as my first rental and I was there six months.  She has given me a lot of good prices.  I've rented with her three times over my just over 3 years here.  Use some linked mesh too, your land impact will go down.  Link some items if you can too.

Thanks a lot. Can't hurt to compare it with the current prices I pay.

[Ultima Cloud]

Ive been around SL off and on since 2006. I think I was premium for maybe 3-4 months combined. I spend quite a lot on SL between events shopping and my parcel of land. Much more than the average monthly sub MMO. I have no real need for premium as I never go to mainland sims and would never get a parcel there. Maybe it's just me but whenever I did go there I felt like I teleported back to 2008. And the stipend is pretty minuscule for today's standards. There's really no benefit for me switching to premium. 

Personally I think they need to reimagine their whole philosophy of what they should offer for premium. I think a higher stipend would be a good start. It would be a way of rewarding creators in SL who induce people like me to throw more money into the game to buy their wonderful things.

[Rowan Amore]

I agree on the stipend increase.  It's been the same amount for the 10 years I've been Premium.  

The stipend amount for older accounts depends on what type of account you have and its age.

Seems to me they could increase it for avatars again over a certain age and active.  I don't know what the logistics would be to figure out who logs in and who doesn't but it seems to me, if they can pay old accounts 500L even if some don't log in and spend it, they could give us 500L as active members who WILL use it.

Premium accounts created or upgraded from basic:

• On or after November 1, 2006 receive L$300 per week.
• Between July 21, 2006 and November 1, 2006 receive L$400 per week.
• Before July 21, 2006 receive L$500 per week.

Certain old basic accounts get a stipend; basic accounts created

• Before May 29, 2006 receive a stipend of L$50 per week, if they log in that week..
• After May 29, 2006 do not receive a weekly stipend

[Coffee Pancake]

Free accounts in SL are a GOOD THING.

SL depends on free accounts.

Free accounts are our friends, lock out our friends and you lock us all out.

It's about time LL removed all account status information from public view, it's no ones business who buys a sub and who doesn't. No one should feel the need to justify their participation in SL in terms of how much money they spend here. 

If you don't feel you're getting value from a premium subscription, direct your attention to LL rather than others who seem to be doing just fine without one. A better prem package would benefit everyone.

[Silent Mistwalker]

After being in SL and contributing to the economy for at least 12 years (been here since 2004) as a basic account by buying products and renting parcels, 1/4 regions, 1/2 regions and homesteads ($125 USD per month) it would be a really stupid move on LL's part to force everyone into premium. Many of us simply can't afford the expense. I haven't been able to afford land in years and now you want to shove me out in the cold and snow? LL's rep is bad enough as it is, why make it worse?

[Solar Legion]

Hey uh, Coffee? There is no way to know if a given User has bought a Premium Subscription.

The only information that even comes close is No Payment Information on File/Payment Information on File/Payment Information Used. That's it. Now it can be argued that said flags ought to go away and on that one ... I'm pretty much neutral.

[rasterscan]

I suggest LL stop trying to fix stuff that ain't broke. For a change.

[Rolig Loon]

1 hour ago, Solar Legion said:

The only information that even comes close is No Payment Information on File/Payment Information on File/Payment Information Used. That's it. 

Well, that plus anyone who owns a Linden Home is obviously Premium, but you wouldn't know that by looking at the person's profile.  You'd have to go around knocking on doors to find out who owns each home. Plenty of tedium there. 🙄

[Alwin Alcott]

there's already a recent Premium thread active...