Columbia Music House Shutters

[Chris Gohlke]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://digitalmusic.weblogsinc.com/entry/1234000117062814/' target='_blank'>http://digitalmusic.weblogsinc.com/entry/1234000117062814/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"About time, you might think, but actually the CD clubs offered damn good values, even in the digital download era. If you played it right, you could score CDs at less-then-Rhapsody prices (and definitely less than iTMS prices), even with the outrageous handling fees. But maintaining the account, and dealing with horrible auto-send features, was too much of a hassle. Anyway, industry leading Columbia House is folding up its music division to focus on DVDs."</i><br /><br />The era of 10 CD's for a penny is over. Their ads, which were everywhere when I was younger, had all but disappeared in recent years and I had not even realized that they were still around.

[randalllewis]

I would guess that 80 percent of the population over 40 was a member of Columbia House or one of its competitors at least long enough to qualify for those 20 albums for a penny offers. I joined during my freshmen year in college and- showing my age- collected my 10 lp's for a penny. I actually bought more than I was required but dropped the club in my junior year. Getting off their mailing list was a real chore, no matter how many times I moved, Columbia House mailings begging me to come back would find me. You're right about their advertising: insert cards in magazines, the backs of comic books, Sunday newspapers, display racks in bookstores, 7-11. The ads were everywhere. Someday there will be a special on the History Channel where everyone will be nostalgic for the Columbia House ads and AOL CD's!