Columbia House insiders spill the beans on the company's secrets | CHANNEL 33 RPM

Ойын-сауық

I did a couple Columbia House videos last year, talking about the rise and fall of the company, and how it made millions giving away music. I heard from a lot of former employees - who had some interesting insights and behind the scenes stories. I share them in this video.
#vinyl #cassette #ColumbiaHouse
SUBSCRIBE... IT'S FREE and FUN! kzread.info_c...
OFFICIAL MERCH STORE: channel33rpm.bigcartel.com/
TWITTER: / channel33rpm
INSTAGRAM: / channel33rpm
FACEBOOK: / channel33rpm
Interested in sending an item to be considered for the mail time segment? Here is my address:
Frank Landry
PO BOX 99900 RE 899 513
RPO GARDEN CITY
WINNIPEG MB R2V 5A2
Canada
======================================================
ABOUT Channel33rpm: Your channel for #vinyl, gear and more, where I try to put the fun back in record collecting.
ABOUT ME: My goal is to inspire you to grow your music collection, improve your listening experience, discover new music and support artists (and have fun while doing it).
=====================================================
MUSIC CREDITS:
Pentagram by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/
Rocker Chicks by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/
Rocker by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/
======================================================
Videos shot live on location near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Пікірлер: 155

  • @xrandy11
    @xrandy11 Жыл бұрын

    I joined Columbia and RCA numerous times under different names and built a substanial collection. I always paid up though so never had any issues. You'd get 15 free and then had to buy 3. Even if the 3 were overpriced it was still less than 20 bucks so you would get 18 albums for less than 50 bucks total. Really a good deal.

  • @davidellis5141
    @davidellis5141 Жыл бұрын

    When Enigma records closed in 1989 , it did so on a day's notice. Some employees came into the record store I worked & said the Warehouse was left open with a sign saying help yourself. Lots of free cds 💿 in Culver City , CA for a few days.

  • @patriottex4813
    @patriottex4813 Жыл бұрын

    Loved Columbia House. About 35 percent of my cd collection came from there.

  • @Wolfie66
    @Wolfie66 Жыл бұрын

    I was twelve and Columbia House was an instant record collection!

  • @fj5144
    @fj5144 Жыл бұрын

    I had like 30 accounts at one time and kept up with it all in a notebook. I always paid the required amount. I had a huge CD collection and got into a lot of music I might not have.

  • @sterling_muse
    @sterling_muse Жыл бұрын

    I so miss those days and that experience! That was a wonderful time in my youth that I will always treasure!

  • @cpayne4956
    @cpayne4956 Жыл бұрын

    I joined Columbia House CD and video club, as well as BMG and CDHQ (Compact Disc Headquarters). The CDHQ and BMG offered less than Columbia House for the initial startup deal, but I was able, with those and Christmas & birthday gifts, grow my CD collection to about 400. I stayed with Columbia House and quit the others as CH offered 12 for a penny, then you bought your first requirement selection (making 13) and get a 14th selection for a low price (usually $7-$8) + HST and shipping. So I would get 14 CDs each time I enrolled for about $30 with tax and shipping. There were other deals, but that was my favourite as I got CDs for roughly $2 each.

  • @albert71292
    @albert71292 Жыл бұрын

    From the 70's through the early 1990's, I joined Columbia House and RCA/BMG several times. How I went about it was different than most I think. I'd order the introductory offers, buy the minimum at regular price which was required to complete the agreement, then cancel. After a few months, I'd join them again, get the introductory offers, lather, rinse, repeat. Neither company seemed to have a limit on the number of times you could cancel and rejoin, as long as you completed the agreement each time. I always used my real name and the same address. They never complained.

  • @tomfurgas2844
    @tomfurgas2844 Жыл бұрын

    I had joined both Columbia House and, later, BMG. Got tons of great music on the cheap. But I was always honest and bought the required full-price records or CD's to fulfill my membership. I crunched the numbers and I found I was still getting a pretty good bargain. Back then I was always looking for ways to beef up my collection on the cheap. That's why I bought so many of the Warner Bros. Loss Leaders.

  • @kguy2know
    @kguy2know Жыл бұрын

    I loved Columbia House. I think I got my first joined i around 1982, I was 14- though i always paid my bills. I remember you could buy your 1st couple at a discount and you only had to buy around 3 lps. not bad.

  • @vinylordie1301
    @vinylordie1301 Жыл бұрын

    Late 90s Columbia House member here. Our initial shipment was fun, but they sent me a copy of Days of the New after and it was worth every penny to me. I loved that album when it came out. That’s about all I remember about CH

  • @jaimegama9862
    @jaimegama9862 Жыл бұрын

    I first joined Columbia House in the late seventies to complete my Santana album collection. I rejoined them again in the early eighties, only this time I got cassettes. Then, I joined their video club in 1987 to collect the old "Outer Limits " VHS collection.

  • @JimmyV1530
    @JimmyV1530 Жыл бұрын

    Great stories Frank, I of course was a member. On & off for many years - - I was also able to buy Reel to Reel tapes of albums from Columbia House & still have them / will share a picture on your facebook page later today. Record stores in my area never sold prerecorded Reel to Reels so Columbia House was my only outlet to buy these albums on Reel.

  • @matthewchance8835
    @matthewchance8835 Жыл бұрын

    I was a member of both Columbia House & BMG. The difference between BMG is that most of their product was on their label, like RCA, etc. Columbia House had a better variety of different labels to choose from. I got my record collection to a pretty good amount in the late '70s & early '80s as long as I bought one or two records at the Manufactured Retail Price which was back then $7.98-$9.98 [USD] and when CDs came out, I changed to that format in the mid '80s & it was the same thing, except CDs were a little bit higher [if I remember]. In total I maintained about 200 CDs & 125 albums the whole time I was with them, good times.

  • @lenwennerberg1631

    @lenwennerberg1631

    Жыл бұрын

    So 12 CD's for a penny.... Today (if you can find the right place) you can buy all the CD's you want for $1-$2 a piece. Now, if you factor in inflation.... 🤔

  • @dwf150101

    @dwf150101

    Жыл бұрын

    Same here. I’d get my penny cds. Buy one at price. Cancel. Repeat. Only wish I was buying more rock cds and less country at the time

  • @cpta03
    @cpta03 Жыл бұрын

    The Columbia House ads looked to be too good to be true, so I read the fine print and never joined. Thanks for jogging my memory! Great video as always.

  • @melprophet1936
    @melprophet1936 Жыл бұрын

    One of my friends' fathers was a lawyer and he told us the thing about minors and not being legally liable for meeting our end of the contract. When we got all our freebies, we just wrote that we were minors on a monthly selection coupon to return, and they'd cancel the account. I did it twice but my father found out and I got in big trouble. Some of my friends did it 2-3 times with each of the places. BMG and RCA too if I recall correctly.

  • @DelmarToad
    @DelmarToad Жыл бұрын

    Another great video! I was a member of all the record clubs back in the ‘70s & ‘80s & fondly recall TerreHaute stamped on the records & jackets. Getting to collect the leftovers for free would’ve been so much fun.

  • @brucybabyy7355
    @brucybabyy7355 Жыл бұрын

    i never did Columbia house. but in the 70,s i joined record club of Canada. 5 lps for 5 bucks. no commitment. they would send you catalogs every month. i was with them for a few years. was a great way to start my collection.

  • @davidbindert
    @davidbindert Жыл бұрын

    I joined around 1996/97. The cd’s never arrived but my girlfriend and I began to notice that our downstairs neighbor’s were suddenly playing every cd we ordered. We complained that our shipment was never received and they sent the all the cd’s again at no charge. We cancelled after that not just because of the bad experience but also because we couldn’t find another 6 cd’s that we actually wanted in their catalog.

  • @the80slivehere
    @the80slivehere Жыл бұрын

    Hi Frank: I did belong to Columbia House (vinyl - I would pay cash that I earned to my parents and they would pay by check) and later BMG (CDs). I never backed out of the deal, but I was always glad to be finally done with it. I did rejoin BMG at least once without subterfuge. 😃. - Heather

  • @Tilbilly22
    @Tilbilly22 Жыл бұрын

    I had a paper route in 1980 the Columbia house postcards were in the papers. I had an account and remember having to mail in the monthly post cards with the record of the month or they would ship the record to you with the bill.

  • @derekgoss
    @derekgoss Жыл бұрын

    You had to order sale ones, and a few of those reduced ones at a time to get the shipping down to under a $1 each. Then it was well worth it. I remember there was no sales tax, so there was a good savings right there. By the time it imploded Dad and I had ordered enough so each thing was about $6. What you paid for shipping and the stamped on postage that it actually cost them to send it was wildly different. That was one of the big profit streams.

  • @jukeboxcowboy
    @jukeboxcowboy Жыл бұрын

    🤠 I worked at a collection agency during the 80s, and often we would get accounts from Columbia House. If the collection agency didn't get payment after a couple of calls, they always dropped pursuing the matter. It just wasn't cost-effective to pursue. That said, the agency's job was to scare Columbia House members into thinking they would have to pay for court costs and attorney's fees. Once, instead of paying, somebody dropped all of their cassettes off at the collection agency office, and the boss gave them to me!

  • @mrgrinch9865
    @mrgrinch9865 Жыл бұрын

    ahh memories ... we used to subscribe then fill in the requirement purchases and then cancel and then re subscribe to get the freebees again. Did this a couple of times between me, my brother and my dad. Was both on Columbia House and BMG

  • @shannonhooker623
    @shannonhooker6235 ай бұрын

    I was a BMG customer ... similar to Columbia House. I waited until they had deals on stuff I wanted. I bought up a bunch of stuff and a full price album I wasn't sure about. I figured I still made out and built up my collection pretty quickly. After that I just hit up my local record stores.

  • @FluxAudioVideo
    @FluxAudioVideo Жыл бұрын

    I went to Indiana University in Bloomington in the late-80s-early 90s, and all the local record stores were always packed to the rafters with sealed CRC products. I put this down to Bloomington's proximity to Terre Haute and figured employees had made off with stacks of discards and traded them in on a new 4AD import LP or the latest Smiths UK 12" single. These sealed LPs and CDs were always in the budget bins at $1 apiece, with box sets going for around $10. I spent most Saturdays checking out garage sales looking for records, videos, etc., carrying my copy of the local paper with all the ones I wanted to go to marked in highlighter. One day, the last stop on the list turned out to be an office park outside of town (cue sinister film noir music). Imagine my surprise when I realized this was some sort of Columbia office. I scored a huge crate of vinyl and CDs, as well as the entire Twilight Zone series on VHS (!) with a per item price in the $1-5 range. The exact purpose of this odd offshoot office remains a mystery, as well as the unusual choice of placing an ad in the garage sale section of the paper. Columbia worked in mysterious ways...

  • @jimb2416
    @jimb2416 Жыл бұрын

    Great video Frank! I remember well the Columbia House craze. I never joined as I didn't want to buy what they required after getting the initial order. It must have been fun working there during the hey day! Keep on spinning Frank 👍

  • @georgeprice4212
    @georgeprice4212 Жыл бұрын

    My mom joined just to expand my music collection ( oh, the joys of being an only child!). She joined both Columbia House and RCA Music Service (later BMG Direct).

  • @offthebeatentracks4515
    @offthebeatentracks4515 Жыл бұрын

    The vast amount of records, now worth a fortune, that were driven to dumpsites would probably make every record collector weep.

  • @Daniel-79
    @Daniel-79 Жыл бұрын

    I was a kid when they advertised big in news papers. I would fill out my list and then beg my parents to send it in. However, my parents were not about to get caught up in any music club and it all ended as a daydream for me.

  • @eddiecarter9831
    @eddiecarter9831 Жыл бұрын

    I was in Columbia House and BMG off and on several times. Once when doing the however many cds for a penny, Columbia House accidentally shipped the order twice. I called to check on returning it, but they just said keep it. So, I shared with friends. I wish that was still a thing. I've seen some vinyl record clubs pop up recently, but I'm not sure how good any of them are. Great trip down memory lane. Thanks!

  • @sandysmith9869
    @sandysmith9869 Жыл бұрын

    The shipping, and handling cost for each cassette sent was the same as buying each cassette at full price when you added it all up.

  • @BubbaBigDude
    @BubbaBigDude Жыл бұрын

    I sure do miss Columbia House & BMG/RCA Music Service, I think I still owe both of them money!!

  • @Acmallsb40
    @Acmallsb40 Жыл бұрын

    Love the Royal Blood Typhoons record peeking out in the background!

  • @jodywoodruff6473
    @jodywoodruff6473 Жыл бұрын

    I remember being way to young to order from there. My mom was so mad at me for ordering from there because she had to get n touch with the company saying that I was under age and to stop sending me bills I couldn't pay.🤣

  • @GenXautrucity

    @GenXautrucity

    Жыл бұрын

    My Aunt did the same thing with her daughter but for sinister reasons and got free cds for awhile. Record keeping wasn’t exactly great back then.

  • @ThiKu

    @ThiKu

    Жыл бұрын

    Mine was so mad too!! 😂😂

  • @lock67ca
    @lock67ca Жыл бұрын

    I gamed the system quite a bit. Every time we moved, I'd send in an application under a new name (usually a variation on my real one) and get a bunch of new CDs. And since I knew, from previous experience, that their collection agencies were toothless or non-existent.....

  • @amateurmusicresearch1972
    @amateurmusicresearch1972 Жыл бұрын

    was a member in canada, nice getting that box of 10 cd's in the mail. "Terre haute" sounds like French, high land or high ground, remember that address from way back when filling in the forms.

  • @joequando
    @joequando5 ай бұрын

    This reminds me of a warehouse I contracted at. I was able to get all the books I wanted, but I had to tear off the cover so they would get a credit on the return.

  • @user-vr7bs3ud1e
    @user-vr7bs3ud1eАй бұрын

    I joined the Music Club at least twice, and the Video Club once. In Canada, CD's could go from 18-25 bucks, and VHS tapes could go upwards to around 35 bucks. I paid up my account for the most part, but I'm sure I still owed them a few dollars when they went under.

  • @bryanm9880
    @bryanm98808 ай бұрын

    General delivery to a post office was great back then

  • @thetubesrock
    @thetubesrock Жыл бұрын

    Well that was a fun video Frank! I still have a bunch of Columbia House records and even 8-tracks. Now let's go find that dump! 😂

  • @timothysmith7414

    @timothysmith7414

    Жыл бұрын

    Hello Frank,great video,I guest I was one of the few that paid for all my CD's.I was in three clubs, BMG,CDHQ and Columbia House how I got most of my CDs,buy signing people up who had some music interest,I did not have know them,and I would only buy when there was 3 or more for free so I bought most of 600 plus for postage.The only thing that was not totally honest,is when I forgot to send card back,would write return to sender on the box.I have over 800 hundred CDs.

  • @ekuryluk
    @ekuryluk Жыл бұрын

    In the 70's Parade magazine would have the Columbia House ads, back then it was three 8-Tracks for a penny. Even as 10-year old in 1977 I had seen enough 8-tracks self-destruct to know it wasn't worth asking my parents. After that I started seeing the LP advertisements and every year it seemed they sweetened the pot. Five for a penny, six, seven. When I was a teenager, I would circle the albums I wanted, but without my own credit card it wasn't going to happen. I placed my first order for CDs (with BMG) when I opened my first checking account. By then, I think they were up to 9 for a penny. To select the CDs they had stamps to place on the card you mailed in. I never gamed the system, but did discover a lot of music because I forgot to send in the card. They often had deals where if you bought one or two at full price, you were eligible for 50% off on a few more cds. My rule of thumb was to order enough CDs to get my cost down to about $11 each. Ultimately, I remember cancelling after about two years because they just didn't have any music I wanted. While it lasted, it was fun getting a cds in the mail. Good times!

  • @automatedelectronics6062
    @automatedelectronics6062 Жыл бұрын

    I have heard that Columbia House was coming back over the years. Here in Central California, there were 2 Columbia House/Sony distribution center. One was for video and the other for music. I found out about this(I realize that Canadians have a hard time pronouncing some of these words, correctly) only because in the 1990's, I had a customer who worked there at the music warehouse. Around that time, I had joined both Columbia House and RCA's music service. I believe at that time, they were still "giving away" for one cent 12 CD's, but the buying commitment may have only required 6 purchases. The CD's weren't really free or for one cent, the clubs made their money off of the shipping charges. It was helped by the "selection of the month", which if you didn't want it, you were supposed to mail in a post card. Well, the post cards never seemed to get back to them on time and they would ship you the selection anyway, so I stopped sending in the cards. When I didn't want the selection, I would just write "Return To Sender", cross out my name/address and drop it in a mailbox(Canadians, this is NOT referring to a gay man. lol) . In a few days I would receive a letter from them stating that I wasn't supposed to do this. They never did anything about it. By chance the CD was maybe what I wanted, I could carefully open the package, remove and open the CD, make a cassette recording of it, carefully put the CD back into the mailer and drop it in the nearest mailbox. A few days later I would get a letter, again stating that I couldn't do this. LOL ! After returning CD's this way, Columbia House and RCA quit sending me the selections of the month. Soon, because I didn't buy anything more, they stopped sending the monthly mailers. Then, a few months after that, they would send out an invitation letter to re-join the clubs with a "special" purchase agreement. Well, hopefully you only do something stupid once. I didn't do it again. Oh! Generally speaking, these record clubs manufactured their own records, which because they also manufactured these same records for the record companies themselves, the quality was usually OK.

  • @grahambiggs9822
    @grahambiggs9822 Жыл бұрын

    That was really interesting Frank..... you now have me going down a rabbit hole looking for the ET Atari documentary !! keep on spinnin !!

  • @patriciablyler6484
    @patriciablyler6484 Жыл бұрын

    Yep! I was a member back in the 70’s. I joined for the 8-tracks not the albums. I sure wish I would have bought the albums instead! Lol

  • @SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion
    @SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion Жыл бұрын

    VT terminals were for Digital Equipment Corp “mini-computer” “servers” in the 1970’s-1980’s. Either the PDP series (70’s) or VAX (80’s). I programmed them day and night!

  • @johnphipps3287
    @johnphipps3287 Жыл бұрын

    Of course I was a member and I loved it.

  • @Bo-hb3eo
    @Bo-hb3eo Жыл бұрын

    Hey Frank… This is so cool. This brings back so many memories. Like one of your posters earlier I was like his friends, I joined each club multiple times in the 70s. We all knew it was a scam. My dad had to write a letter more than once to get me out of the threatening letters they were sending. Which as a 14-15 year-old is really concerning, some of them had really cool stands you could get also. I feel kind of bad for taking advantage, it would be nice to have something like that today. I still have about 30 8-tracks… for all the good they are. Those really do bring back memories, they traveled the country with me in the car for years. Thanks again.

  • @samsquanch67
    @samsquanch67 Жыл бұрын

    I was a member of both Columbia and BMG ordered cassettes and CDs under many names I think I paid for 7 out of the 8 orders I made!

  • @markjamesmeli2520
    @markjamesmeli2520 Жыл бұрын

    I worked at a music store that sold used records. A lot of times, customers would come to us to sell the media they only "sorta" wanted in the first place. So, a bunch of stuff they got for free and sold for beer money for the weekend.

  • @jerryferrari4776
    @jerryferrari4776 Жыл бұрын

    Hi Frank. I was a member of Columbia House for not only music but for VHS and dvds as well. I was an honest member and did pay my debts and filled my subscription obligations. What blows me away is that certain albums were never released on vinyl in the US officially but were released on vinyl through Columbia House in the US. Example of that is Van Halen For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. Hope you have a great day and love the channel!!

  • @jasonk19xx17

    @jasonk19xx17

    Жыл бұрын

    If you fulfilled and paid your membership obligations then canceled, it worked out to about $7 per CD, which was still cheaper than retail prices by quite a bit.

  • @crichards1986
    @crichards1986 Жыл бұрын

    That's EXACTLY how I got out of paying Columbia House - My mother told them I was a minor and too young to enter into a contract of this sort. I WAS a minor and she was right. 😁

  • @stepheneson4107
    @stepheneson4107 Жыл бұрын

    Great video! My buddies and I were suspicious of the Columbia House deals-- the "list prices" of the minimum required purchases (we were too honest to ignore that) were outrageous. We went with their primary competitor: Record Club of America. The giveaways weren't as liberal, but the selling prices of the records were much more competitive. Thanks for the little trip down memory lane.

  • @aaronmuthaalamare4165
    @aaronmuthaalamare4165 Жыл бұрын

    Awesome video Frank! Columbia House is how I discovered Peace Sells and Rage For Order!! It definitely catapulted me further into my metal obsession!! 👍🤘🤘

  • @Protometal66

    @Protometal66

    Жыл бұрын

    If the description was anything like hard rocking or blistering etc , Id order it.

  • @goodie1955
    @goodie1955 Жыл бұрын

    I was a member several times over. Don’t really remember how I got out of my commitment.

  • @jobarrios
    @jobarrios Жыл бұрын

    I was 16 when I joined Columbia, one time I forgot to pay and got a letter from a collection agency that scared the heck out of me, so I ended up paying =), interesting topic, miss those days.

  • @lttbigbob
    @lttbigbob Жыл бұрын

    I got all of early Megadeth, Metallica, Pantera, etc from them back in the back. Still have most of them.

  • @yanks1fan09
    @yanks1fan09 Жыл бұрын

    I had a friend who worked at the New York City location. Got a ton of CD's when they shut down their operations.

  • @guitarsamurai1906
    @guitarsamurai1906 Жыл бұрын

    former member from 1989 to 1993. still have some of those cd's.

  • @shmuckler
    @shmuckler Жыл бұрын

    Great stories Frank, keep them coming.

  • @poetsdreamsatc
    @poetsdreamsatc Жыл бұрын

    I believe Columbia House also had a VHS movie club as well.

  • @surgen9499
    @surgen9499 Жыл бұрын

    Crazy how much more Record Club Vinyl List for !! Like Double

  • @tinostabile3256
    @tinostabile3256 Жыл бұрын

    Hi Frank. This was incredible. I was a member I remember on 96 1 I put in order and counted the days for thr cds to come in the mail thus is too cool. I will share this on my FB if it is OK. A part of me misses this club. Thank you for making my Sunday awesome. Have a great week dear Sir.

  • @jasonk19xx17

    @jasonk19xx17

    Жыл бұрын

    Shipping took forever. Like 3-4 weeks.

  • @tinostabile3256

    @tinostabile3256

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jasonk19xx17 yes at least..... it was excruciatingly long....

  • @lawrencedanastorg7600
    @lawrencedanastorg7600 Жыл бұрын

    I and many friends of mine bought cassettes from Columbia House and thought it was a great bargain. By the way we paid what was owed.

  • @duh50360
    @duh50360 Жыл бұрын

    This cracked me up. Good video subject, Frank.

  • @nelsonnichols922
    @nelsonnichols922 Жыл бұрын

    I purchased mini records from Columbia house back in the 70s I would get all the cheap records buy the required amounts and cancel my membership then sign up again under a different name and get more introductory records always paid for the required records but once I had, I would cancel and get more. Got a lot of records that way!

  • @catdeli
    @catdeli Жыл бұрын

    Wow very cool to hear right from the workers. I never joined Columbia but during 1972, 73 and 74 I was in Record Club Of America, the same type of deal: a bunch cheaply for joining then you had to buy so many. I still have the records. Some had “Manufactured for RCOA” printed on the cover somewhere. I never scammed them but I had placed and paid for an order of a half dozen 8-track tapes and they never sent them. I heard after they went out of business.

  • @richardhamilton9936
    @richardhamilton9936 Жыл бұрын

    I was in the record. CD, and even the laserdisc clubs.

  • @ronaldweed6103
    @ronaldweed6103 Жыл бұрын

    So remember those DAYS

  • @thebestoffools
    @thebestoffools Жыл бұрын

    I was a member of CH from the mid nineties to late nineties and then I became a member of Napster, if you know what I mean. 😄

  • @lenwennerberg1631

    @lenwennerberg1631

    Жыл бұрын

    Former Audio Galaxy member here 🙋‍♂️

  • @chrisvesk816
    @chrisvesk816 Жыл бұрын

    Very cool stories!

  • @mr.george7687
    @mr.george7687 Жыл бұрын

    I used to belong to the Columbia House club & paid my bills. I also joined a Music Reviewer vinyl club ( can't remember the name) Would get Promo records for free to keep!

  • @Tilbilly22
    @Tilbilly22 Жыл бұрын

    Great video Frank

  • @richardsteele3272
    @richardsteele3272 Жыл бұрын

    I ordered from Columbia House when it was still selling cassettes and they sent me a Sammy Hagar VOA album that had no tape in it. I ended going to Kmart and switching it out for another one because I did not want to wait to get what I ordered. I already experienced having to send something back because they sent me something I did not order, specifically Simon & Garfunkel concert in Central Park.

  • @kerrydavidsadler980
    @kerrydavidsadler980 Жыл бұрын

    Loved those record clubs, at one time I was in three different music clubs. RCA club, Columbia House, and believe it or not for a while even MTV had a record club that I was in.

  • @waterlover
    @waterlover Жыл бұрын

    I used to ask my family if I could use their address to order music I used like 40-43 addresses love it

  • @Vince_Tasciotti
    @Vince_Tasciotti Жыл бұрын

    Yes, I was a member of both Columbia House and RCA Music Service at different times. My first BTO and Chuck Berry albums came from RCA, fond memories there. I never liked the "Selection of the Month" gimmick. I'd wind up returning CDs from bands I didn't like, when I didn't return those silly cards on time. I resigned from these types if clubs when Amazon and CD Now started up. Music via mail and no Selection of the Month to deal with.

  • @mikeroeder
    @mikeroeder Жыл бұрын

    I don't live in Terre Haute, but a lady I used to work with in the early 2000's would bring CD's to the office to give away. Her brother (I believe) worked for the US Post Office in town, and at the time there were a lot of unclaimed or refused record club orders and the employees were allowed to take those home (without anything identifying the customers). I don't know the details (like does the post office have a waiting period before they could do that), but I'm sure that Columbia House or BMG weren't interested in getting them back. I'm sure this must have happened everywhere back then.

  • @ed_lackenbucher
    @ed_lackenbucher Жыл бұрын

    Oh the Columbia House days, I remember my buddy and I signing each other up, then we got a PO Box, signed each other up again, we did this a few times, sign up/cancel…. Lots of free stuff, I would then try and use the sale catalogs to complete the obligatory ones. I think I found sealed CD’s 15 years later from this

  • @Brown_Sound
    @Brown_Sound Жыл бұрын

    Great video, Frank. I'm going to try and send you a bit more info on the actual site with dates and details.

  • @philipfranklin3958
    @philipfranklin3958 Жыл бұрын

    This may be slightly off topic yet still pertain to Columbia House; did any one hear or read back in 2015 or '16 about some investor wanting to resurrect the club (Columbia House) as a vinyl club ? Any updates on this?

  • @erfquake1
    @erfquake14 ай бұрын

    I don't know why all these letters so fondly recall CH, maybe because it employed so many people in their hometown. But for most of the people outside of CH it was CH ripping them off, not the other way around. In the 70's it was albums, not CDs, and it was a predatory practice to rope in unsuspecting teenagers who loved music, lock them in to this expensive subscription service, and made the person go through a daunting process to cancel the subscription. You had to compose a typed letter requesting the cancellation, make damned sure the address information was exact down to the comma, include the account # which most kids weren't even aware of, mail it off, and just pray. Usually it didn't get canceled, a new bill would arrive and a collection agency would threaten the person. Maybe the address or account # was missing or imprecise, maybe CH just tossed cancellation letters in the trash, we never knew. My sister got roped into this and cried hysterically over the trauma of being threatened by collectors, as a teenager, basically helpless, thinking she'd followed all the directions but still getting these bills she couldn't afford. It was predatory, and it was before PCs, screen-grabs, emails, anything. All we had were phones & the mail. It made her feel extremely vulnerable, as she couldn't prove anything to these organizations threatening her. CH represented for us the ultimate in fine-print predatory scumbags.

  • @jmfloyd23
    @jmfloyd23 Жыл бұрын

    I was a Columbia House member for many years. At one time my selections came on the reel to reel tape format. Wonder what they did to the unsold reel inventory when they were discontinued in 1984?

  • @stphinkle
    @stphinkle Жыл бұрын

    You should also see the movie "The Target Shoots First" in which Christopher Wilcha made a documentary about Columbia House and what is was like from inside.

  • @britwhiskyfan
    @britwhiskyfan Жыл бұрын

    Growing up in the uk. I was a member with the Britannia music club, I think it was own by poly gram, you had to remember to let them know you didn't want the cd of the month or they would just send it out. I think I got some good deals and no music club editions

  • @crimsonghost6454
    @crimsonghost6454 Жыл бұрын

    Those were great stories.

  • @705johnnyboy
    @705johnnyboy Жыл бұрын

    at least i had a laugh this morning ,jack lol.....

  • @rocky-o
    @rocky-o Жыл бұрын

    hey frank..i belonged to bogh RCA and COLUMBIA HOUSE, and i loved them both (though rca had the better selection)..the best part was the catalogs you got each month..i would spend every day salivating over each page...those were the days...hope you and the family are well..peace always my friend..rocky

  • @rexbrumbelow1550
    @rexbrumbelow1550 Жыл бұрын

    As I watch this I'm wearing my I still owe money to Columbia house money shirt! Lol. I had several accounts. Tons of cassette and cds. Wish I could have gotten vinyls too

  • @kennycunningham8721
    @kennycunningham8721 Жыл бұрын

    I never got cds from them I was the old school and first I got 11 eight tracks for a penny and had to get 3 for 2 years then the cassette thing and I got them under my name and all names in my family.

  • @theflipside-vinylcommunity
    @theflipside-vinylcommunity Жыл бұрын

    Awesome video bro

  • @wulver8207
    @wulver8207 Жыл бұрын

    Hi Frank, As an Indiana farm kid of the 70s going to town to buy music wasn't really a thing for me. I did however belonged to both RCA and Columbia house. The majority of my 8 tracks and vinyl back then was purchased came from these two clubs. I never tried to get out of paying but I did have a scheme. First I would join one of the clubs and do the minimum to meet my obligation for the "free" stuff and then quit. I would then join the other club and repeat this process. Each time when I returned to a club I'd alter either my name or address a little to "trick" them into thinking I was a new customer. I have no idea kow many different times I was a member. I guess as a kid I thought they had computers trying to weed out people that were not new and therefore not eligible for the free deals. Looking back my name games were probably not required. Keep on spinning ;)

  • @patbarr1351
    @patbarr1351 Жыл бұрын

    I was a bit nervous about CH at first, so I joined that *other* record club. It was called Records & Tapes Unlimited in the US (my friend in Ontario joined the similar Record Club of Canada). Purchases from those clubs were straight buys at a nice discount, but there may have been one full price purchase to kick off your membership. I believe those were both run by Columbia, since records often had a CRC sticker on the jacket.

  • @markmclaren7577
    @markmclaren7577 Жыл бұрын

    Here in the uk we had a similar club called Britannia music club think I got 6 cds for £1 then of course you were expecting to buy so many cds at full price over 2 years as far as I know it was the arrival of iTunes and other means of getting music that killed off the company

  • @Bootradr
    @Bootradr Жыл бұрын

    It was so long ago I can't remember if it was CRC or maybe some other club? I don't even remember what CDs I got with the exception of the first four CD remasters of the Led Zeppelin tracks. I still have that today and it came in a hard box with the crop circle / emblem looking designs on the box and CDs. I can't remember what the other CDs I would have gotten back then were because I've had so many CDs since 1986 I've added to my collection. I don't think they were even advertising for vinyl when I did it but if they were I chose the CDs. I wish I had chosen the vinyl today but who knows? That's interesting hearing the collection agencies were reportedly fake. I know I was much younger back when I did the record club deal and I never did purchase the additional albums. But they also didn't send me one every month if I didn't reply to them telling them I didn't want their choice. I got the collection letters and all but nothing ever went against my account because I never even had to use a credit card to begin it. I literally taped the penny to the return letter and marked what I wanted. I did look through what they would send each month and see if there was anything that I wanted and didn't already have. But I just kind of let it go and after however long, and it wasn't too long, I just quit getting any mail from them or the collection agency they claimed to be. And you are right, those were the days! District goes to show how cheap it was to manufacture and give away the CDs, LPs, in tapes. Had it been anything of real value or cost, they probably would have used a real collection agency and not giving up so fast. At least that's my opinion? Brian in Fort Worth 🎶

  • @poetsdreamsatc
    @poetsdreamsatc Жыл бұрын

    I loved Columbia House! I started buying 8 tracks in the 70’s then vinyl. Still have the albums but not the 8 tracks 😂

  • @twisted2291
    @twisted2291 Жыл бұрын

    The whole thing with the music clubs is that they never had a legal binding contract you the buyers. Here in the U.S. if you did not have a signature on file with a contract. You could tell them to go and pound sand, and there was nothing they can do. To this day. If a creditor sells your account to a collections company. You can simply tell them "show me the contract that I signed with your company saying I owe you anything." And they will quit bothering you. 3rd party collections mean nothing, and are 100% leg less in a court of law.

  • @themightyharu
    @themightyharu Жыл бұрын

    Blap! I got a bunch of cds from BMG in the 90s. Normally a cd displays the name of the song when inserted...none of these ones do. Even when I plopped them into iTunes I had to manually put the names. So that tells me they were "not so legal". Another amazing video, keep it up!!

  • @jasonk19xx17

    @jasonk19xx17

    Жыл бұрын

    CD Text didn't come around till later. It was introduced in 1996 and didn't start to appear commonly until several years later.

  • @dimebagdave77
    @dimebagdave77 Жыл бұрын

    Wow, I see Ozzy Live back there.i hear it's better than Tribute.very nice Frank🔥 THNX!

  • @kellybueckert671
    @kellybueckert671 Жыл бұрын

    i most certainly was a member under atleast a half dozen names and well being under 18 i never had to fill a contract

Келесі