Leaning on the extensive description "Software-as-a-Service" (SaaS) Soundnotation has made it his mission to develop a customer-friendly software for music-transcription for music publishers and authors, who are interested in high quality sheet music.

What does "Saas" mean in general?

Software-as-a-Service (short SaaS) is a subfield of cloud-computing in which software is made available via the world wide web. All necessary processes to provide and take care of such online-services (maintenance, configuration, updates) are performed by the provider. Hence the user only needs an internet connection in order to utilize the service and its infrastructure, whereby the access is gained via a web browser. The SaaS model does not require the installation of any program on the user’s computer and, therefore, no software license fees are due. Different user-specific solutions can be offered instead, such as charges per user and per month, or according to the extent of the required functions or per transaction; free-of-charge services are provided as well.

What are advantages and disadvantages for me as a customer?

This web-based and usage-dependent offer has numerous advantages for the user of a SaaS service. The investment costs for the buyer are reduced due to the fact that no licenses have to be purchased. The implementation time, as well as the software maintenance costs, is reduced as well, since these processes are the responsibility of the service provider and run in the background without interrupting the user in his work. In addition, the SaaS model offers a very high flexibility level, since the respective online service can be accessed via the web browser independently of location or time. During the growth of the company, the software can be scaled to the requirements of new employees as well, without compatibility problems emerging among the employees. In summary, the requirements for an ongoing IT infrastructure are singled out to the SaaS vendor. This enables the user or the company to turn to their core business.

Besides the highlighted advantages, there are of course also disadvantages of SaaS, which have to be mentioned. 

Due to the fact that no purchase of the program license takes place, the user is not the owner of the software. Thus, there is always a danger that the service provider has to stop his services, as a result of insolvency for example, and that the program will be no longer available. Furthermore, to use the SaaS solution a strong Internet connection is always required. Also, web-based software is often a standard version, which cannot be comprehensively customized by and for the user. Data security must be mentioned critically as well. In order to register and to use a SaaS model, confidential data are provided and stored externally at the provider. Therefore, prior to implementation, interested parties should check thoroughly, whether their information is protected by safety measures.

SaaS Application Areas

SaaS services can generally be broken down into two areas: Firstly, there are user products and secondly into the company applications. One of the typical examples for user applications are free of charge email programs which are accessed by the end user via a web browser. Company applications, on the other hand, offer the opportunity to single out specific tasks, such as marketing, into the SaaS-models, resulting in more efficient and more cost-effective IT-structures.

Advantages of Software-as-a-Service for music transcription

Soundnotation is a SaaS provider in the field of music industry. The entire service is based on online supported products, therefore, the client does not need to install a program on his local computer. License holders can simply upload their songs into the Creator to receive their music notations promptly as a download. The transcribed notes can also be edited offline via the export function that is available in the catalogue. Additionally, other services, such as the Promoter and the Distributor, are offered, enabling publishers, labels or composers to outsource these segments to Soundnotation and to fully focus on their core business. These services are offered on an as-needed basis without any contractual obligation, charges are based on the specifics of the transaction.