MakeMusic end Finale development

MakeMusic have announced that they will be sunsetting their flagship music notation software packages Finale, Finale PrintMusic and Finale Notepad. To ensure that their users continue to have access to the most advanced and efficient tools available, they have partnered with Steinberg and will be offering an exclusive crossgrade discount to Dorico Pro. 

The following changes will take place immediately:

• There will be no further updates to Finale, or any of its associated tools (PrintMusic, Songwriter, Notepad) 
• It is no longer possible to purchase or upgrade Finale in the MakeMusic eStore
• Finale will continue to work on devices where it is currently installed (barring OS changes) 

After one year, beginning August 2025, the following changes will go into effect:

• It will not be possible to authorise Finale on any new devices, or reauthorise Finale
• Support for Finale v27 or any other version of Finale will no longer be available

Technical support for Finale v27 remains available for the time being.

“Four decades is a very long time in the software industry. Technology stacks change, Mac and Windows operating systems evolve, and Finale’s millions of lines of code add up. This has made the delivery of incremental value for our customers exponentially harder over time. 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. I am convinced Steinberg’s Dorico is the best home for our loyal Finale users, and is the bright future of the music notation industry.” - Greg Dell’Era, President, MakeMusic and Alfred Music

Through the partnership, Finale users will have exclusive access to a limited-time crossgrade discount on Dorico Pro, Steinberg's state-of-the-art music notation software. This discount will enable Finale users to purchase Dorico Pro for $149 (reduced from its full cost of $579). This offer is available immediately and will only be available for a limited time. This discount will also be available for users of Finale PrintMusic.

“We look forward to welcoming many Finale users into the Dorico user community. Although we know it is difficult to leave behind a trusted tool, we are confident that they will soon come to rely on the powerful, efficient workflows provided by Dorico Pro. Our team will be by their side at every step to provide help and support.” - Clyde Sendke, Managing Director, Steinberg

To receive the discount on Dorico Pro, Finale customers should log in to their MakeMusic account at the MakeMusic Store to complete the purchase.

Steinberg have created an FAQ section on their website, which can be found via the link below.

www.steinberg.net/dorico/finale-crossgrade/faq