The End of FINALE and the Impact to Musicians
Many musicians, myself included, were overwhelmed by the news that MakeMusic, a music technology company, will terminate the development of Finale, one of the most popular music notation softwares.
In a heartfelt letter addressed to Finale users, Greg Dell’Era, the president of MakeMusic, said that “Today, Finale is no longer the future of the notation industry - a reality after 35 years, and I want to be candid about this. Instead of releasing new versions of Finale that would offer only marginal value to our users, we’ve made the decision to end its development.” Finale users will still be able to access their software on their current devices (barring OS changes), however, there will be no further updates to it, no availability to purchase or upgrade the software, and beginning of August 2025 it will no longer be possible to authorize Finale on a new device or reauthorize it. Technical support will be available for users until August 2025. It is truly the end of an era.
A lot of musicians are usually drawn towards one software and are also passionately attached to it. Most of us spend years using the same software and even though I am sure there are many features we dislike about that very software we use, we still prefer to continue using it rather than to crossgrade. The tools are familiar to us and we know our way around certain problems. I am sure a lot of my colleagues will agree that there were many times we absolutely loathed some features and that we sometimes spent more time figuring our way around the issues than we spent actually working on the writing. Yet, we still enjoyed the familiarity and tried to avoid the cost and time it takes to get used to a new software that we might not even like.
The encouraging news is that MakeMusic has partnered with its competitor Steinberg to offer an exclusive discount on their product, Dorico Pro, for all Finale users. This discount is even more affordable than their usual crossgrade price from similar products. I have tried Sibelius, MuseScore, and even StaffPad because I was curious to have an “on the go” option with Apple Pencil Pro compatibility. Sibelius just didn’t work well for me, even though I have colleagues who recommend it and enjoy the workflow; MuseScore was decent, but at the time lacked some development - for me, it was a bit limiting then , but I have not tried any recent updates; and StaffPad didn’t really work for what I needed it for. I spent money and time exploring different options and decided that Finale was still my best choice. Please note that this is only my personal preference and I am in no way competent or relevant to review or say one program is superior over others. I have heard great things about Dorico and have considered crossgrade for some time now, but like many, I felt comfortable with my choice of software. Now, I will explore Dorico and hopefully enjoy it! I will also keep my Finale as the website stated that “Finale installer for any previously purchased version can still be downloaded from your eStore account. If your computer crashes or you need to install Finale on a new device, you’re not left without options.” Following the concerns expressed by Finale users, just a day after the big announcement, the company stated that they are now “actively exploring ways to extend flexibility in the weeks ahead” regarding the authorization process.
As disappointing this news might be to all of us who believed and hoped that Finale will continue to grow and were even accepting if it doesn’t - it is quite rare for a company to admit that their competitor is simply better and to acknowledge that in such a way Finale did. This only suggests that maybe there is something bigger and better to learn from this gesture. I am sure there are bigger and more important reasons, especially in terms of business decisions, for Finale discontinuation other than simply admitting that the competitor is better, such as the cost of maintaining and developing a software that seems to be at the end of its life. Philip Rothman’s article “MakeMusic ends development and availability of Finale; partners with Steinberg to sell Dorico directly” for Scoring Notes is a great read on this subject and covers a lot on the history of the software but also offers analysis of the reasons behind this important decision. The article also contains plenty of useful links for those who are considering the Dorico crossgrade.
There are learning curves with each and every software and I do not consider myself to be tech savvy much so I know I will have to devote a good amount of time in order to get accustomed to the change. I am sure this is beyond frustrating to many. Composers who are very busy and have important deadlines ahead of them might not have the luxury of time to learn a whole new software. One of the biggest concerns is how time-consuming it will be to not only export all the files but make formatting adjustments in a new setting. This might mean that all that time we spent working on every detail of the score will be gone. Hopefully, it will not be as scary of a task as it seems now but so far importing MusicXML files into any other software has not been anywhere near a good experience. This will be an absolutely awful experience to those who have decades worth of work on their computers. I have to say that I always export my files timely and even keep different formats and old versions of anything I am working on. I am not sure if this is common practice at all, but I now know it will save me a lot of time as I will only have to get up to date with most recent work. I suggest everyone use all the resources available on both Finale and Dorico website FAQ pages as it seems as they are trying to offer as much support and learning opportunities. Additionally, I see many professionals are now offering advice and help to all those who need it in order to get adjusted to whichever product they choose. I believe this is so important and it just brings to light how connected our music community is.
A native of Serbia, Dr. Jovana Damnjanović, leads a versatile career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and composer. She is an Adjunct Flute Professor at the University of North Georgia, member of the flute quartet Flûture, has a private flute studio in Suwanee, GA, and is a part of the Theodore Presser Publishing Company composer catalog. Dr. Damnjanović earned her DMA degree at the University of Georgia under the tutelage of Professor Angela Jones-Reus.