Finale for Finale: Classic Mac music notation app says goodbye
MakeMusic has decided to discontinue the development of Finale after 35 years. The Windows version is also disappearing. The company recommends alternatives.
Finale icon: Bye-bye after three decades.
(Image: MakeMusic)
The end after almost four decades: The Finale music notation program from MakeMusic will no longer be available in the future, whether for macOS or Windows. The developer made the announcement on its blog last week. "After more than 35 years, we have decided to discontinue Finale and all related products – PrintMusic, Notepad and Songwriter. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all our loyal users," the company writes. Finale is now "no longer the future of the music notation industry" –, which is a reality that must be faced honestly after 35 years. "Instead of releasing new versions of Finale that would only offer marginal value to our users, we have decided to discontinue the development of Finale."
MakeMusic points to alternatives
Greg Dell'Era, President of MakeMusic, now wants users to switch to other programs. In particular, this should be Dorico Pro, which comes from Steinberg. Finale and PrintMusic customers can receive a discount – instead of 579 US dollars, a license will only cost them 149 dollars. It is also planned that Finale v27 will be offered for download to users who crossgrade to Dorico Pro so that they can export their Finale files using MusicXML 4.0 – "the most robust version of MusicXML".
Authorization of Finale should be possible "forever", writes the MakeMusic president in an update to the original announcement. However, it could happen that changes to the operating system cause problems. Originally, authorization was only to be permitted for one year. The Finale installer for a package once purchased will also continue to be available for download via the MakeMusic "eStore" – presumably until at least August 2025. No further technical support is planned for either Finale or PrintMusic.
The long story is even longer
The development of Finale began back in the mid-1980s, with the first version appearing in 1988. It was initially intended for Macintosh II, SE and Mac Plus. Later, a Windows version was also added. Since then, the application has evolved regularly.
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MakeMusic admits that Dorico Pro has overtaken it. "When Dorico was launched in 2016, it set a whole new bar for the industry. The dozens of rapid releases since then have demonstrated the passion, commitment and expertise of the Dorico team," praised Dell'Era.
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