OTS' PLEA FOR HELP...?

[Tim Gainer]

OK, so how many of us got the email today from OTS asking for donations and 'assistance'?

I'm interested in hearing everyone's theories on this one.

MY TWO CENTS: It was only a matter of time. They've made no upgrades to the system in years, let alone any relevant advertising of the product. Now, suddenly they're behind the 8-ball?

Look, all the vets on this forum know I'm a HUGE OTS supporter and have been for the last 25+ years. But how can I get behind a company that can't get behind themselves?  I agree that the market and the world as we know it has changed but its up to the company to change with it. So far as I can see, over the course of at least the last *several* years...OTS hasn't. Hell, I've even started a new radio station using OTS - and it's the same software I've had for years. If I (and we - again, I'm interested in hearing what the rest of the community has to say) can progress with the times...why can't they?

How many of us have begged for little things - 3rd deck, for example - for YEARS...nothing. Nada. Bupkis. Now, suddenly, their backs are against the wall and...well lookie here! What are the plans?

Platform independence (OtsAV on macOS and Linux)
DJcloud integration (announced earlier this year, coming later in 2026, (allegedly))
OtsAV feature requests (whatever that means)

..does anyone even believe this cow swallop anymore?

I'm sorry guys; I know I sound like a crochety old man yelling at the clouds right now. But after so many years of holding on and supporting this company and getting so little in return, honestly...I feel  insulted and belittled.

Am I wrong? What are your feelings? Is there even anybody out there anymore?

Talk me out of this rage.

[Jigger]

I agree with you, Tim. I've been using Ots from the very beginning, and they are right — it has always been reliable and stable. Some of the features added over the years have been excellent.

Where things slipped, in my view, is that development didn't keep pace with changing times. Keeping the program evolving would have helped it stay relevant and attract new users.

They've run various promotions over the years so existing users could increase their licences, and I'm sure most people who wanted to take advantage already have. What Ots really needs now is new customers, not just recycling the same user base.

[Kev]

I saw this too and couldn't help but feel they let the world get ahead of them. A bit like Nokia with iPhone.

I forsee 'Ots 2.0' being released soon on a subscription model with no going back to 1.X downloads. So they can seek to get back some monthly income - but I feel the world of Serato/Rekordbox etc has already taken the market and people will be very unwilling to convert entire libraries etc nowadays.

[Dj Buik]

I'm an OtsAv user from the beginning. Back in 1996 it was a great piece of software (OtsJuke).
They didn't move forward, version 2.0 is never delivered.
I've changed to Virtual DJ about 10 years ago for my DJ gigs.
But I still have an private radio station running with OtsAv.

I think its a one or two man company and it is tough to compete with the big guys.

[milky]

I completely agree with you, Tim.
When Ots came out, it was up against Real Player, Windows Media Player and a couple of others, and it was streets ahead of them. It was a pleasure to use, and its stability was legendary. Yes, there was the inconvenience of having to convert all files to the Ots format, but we all became experts at that and basked in the benefits. The problem is, it never evolved past that initial design, whilst others added new features with every release.

I tried using Ots in a radio environment. It was OK for simply selecting tracks and dropping them onto a deck, but we had to have spreadsheets and Word templates to fill out all of the logging necessary in a modern station. The S&L module came part of the way to resolving this, but again, never evolved further than providing a simple list of tracks played.

We all pleaded for at least one other deck for stings and sound effects. It should have been an option for the DJ version, but built right into the radio and TV versions. Never happened. Some of us resorted to developing Auto Hot Key add-ons, whilst others like Lane simply commissioned their own developer to write code the way they wanted it.

It boasted a state-of-the-art DSP engine, but there are many far better ones now like Breakaway One which blows Ots out of the water.

By the time they get it running on all platforms, there will be no demand for it.

I still have two active licences which I use to stream music to the internet so I have my music anywhere I have phone reception, and for my music room at home, but I can never forsee the need to purchase more licences and, if they go to an annual  subscription model, I'll simply migrate to one of the many other playout systems that are now available.

Sadly, it looks as though OtsAV has run its race, but it's been a hell of a trip.