Price Increases
The current subscription price for Golden Records Online was set in 2017. The subscription covers the costs of hosting the site and the necessary support services and software purchase/upgrades, it doesn’t cover time spent developing the system or maintenance/support.
Since 2017 increased costs have been offset by an increasing user base. However, an increasing user base also means more demand on the services which have required upgrading. Microsoft increased the cost of Azure services by 9% in 2023 and other Cloud providers similarly. Alternatives have been considered, but would be likely to reduce performance or data security unacceptably.
It is with regret that the subscription rates will have to increase from April 1 this year by 10% to £27.50 for an annual club subscription, £49 for 2 years and £70 for 3 years. The personal subscription rate will increase to £11. Although this increase exceeds inflation it is the first increase in 7 years and to keep pace with inflation since 2017 a 25% increase would be needed. In future prices will increase in line with inflation each year.
