Gramophone Subscriptions - printed and digital package please
Sun, Apr 1 2012, 5:45PM
Increasingly, magazines are giving print subscribers free access to their digital editions. As I move towards my fortieth consecutive year of reading every edition of Gramophone, this is something that I, at least, would find very useful. Not useful enough to pay for two separate subscriptions, but I hope if a few other readers agree with me here, we might put appropriate pressure on the publishers. Who may, through the editor, care to comment here?
Paul G
Mon, Apr 2 2012, 9:28AM
#2
RE: Gramophone - printed and digital package please
Dear pgraber and ganymede,
It is always great to hear that a growing number of our readers are interested in getting access to the digital version of the magazine each month and because of this it is a service we will placing greater focus on going forwards.
Ganymede, I am sorry to hear that you haven't been able to transfer your print subscription to a digital service but if you get in touch with me at our office I will help you through the process. My email is luca.dare@haymarket.com
Gramophone was one of the first magazines at Haymarket to launch a digital edition, which has been a real benefit to us in many ways, but has also meant that the technology wasn't as advanced at the time as it is now. Ganymede, you are correct that it is the complexities involved in linking print subscriber data to a digital platform that has been the limiting factor but I can assure you that we have been and will continue to work towards providing all of our subscribers one customer service number through which you can order any of our products.
We are looking at the various options around the pricing of the print and digital editions and we will be in touch with all of you when we are in a position to reveal more.
Luca Da Re
Mon, Apr 2 2012, 9:58AM
#3
Gramophone Subscriptions - printed and digital package please
Thanks for the swift response, Luca. I look forward to a substantive reply when you are able to oblige. You might like to look at what, say, Hi Fi News or The Spectator are doing in this area - or indeed, The Times and The Telegraph.
Yes, I totally agree.
In fact, one thing I tried a while ago (as a Gramophone magazine subscriber) is to convert my print membership into a digital edition membership. I spoke to 2 people at Gramophone who said they would find out it it were possible to do that and no one ever got back to me. I'm not impressed.
I think digital and print editions are technically handled by 2 different companies, so I suspect they will try and blame that arrangement for not being able to offer access to both editions (or swap between them as I had requested). This is of course totally silly for the end user and old fashioned - I hope they will wake up and make it more customer friendly, also along the lines of what you suggest.