So Columbia House is calling it quits.
I know, we’re all saying, “Columbia House was still around??”
Yep, although now it was 2 DVD’s for $9.95 each.
They even have a Facebook page, last updated in 2015.
I remember joining Columbia House, probably in the late 1970’s, and probably without mom’s permission. Wikipedia says the 8-track tape had mostly disappeared by 1982, so I belonged before that. I can’t remember if I went to records or cassettes after. I got 8-tracks because my older brother had 8-tracks, and mom and dad had a Telex AM/FM Record player, 8-track player. Kelly and I were talking about music in the house when we were growing up. I’ve mentioned Dad always had the radio on down in the barn, ‘for the cows’, I don’t remember a lot of music besides that. Even having purchased the Telex unit, they didn’t seem to play it alot. Mom did encourage me by getting me all the Disney movie records. And Kelly doesn’t remember a lot of music around either. It’s curious then, I always have music on and love music so much. And Kelly likes music, she just doesn’t have it on as much as I do. Interesting.
Back to Columbia House. I had no idea they’d been around for 70 years!
Information here taken from Wikipedia:
Columbia House was started in 1955 by CBS / Columbia records as an experiment for direct mail marketing. But they wouldn’t offer new titles for 6 months, to give the brick and mortar stores the first chance. The operation grew quickly, and soon moved to Terre Haute Indiana, because there was a rail way there and Columbia had opened a record pressing facility. Columbia House grew quickly, and within a year, had sold seven million records and had 10% of the recorded music market by 1963.
They offered select reel to reel recordings until 1984. I didn’t know anyone with a reel to reel deck until I started doing theater. We did sound effects on reels into the mid 1980’s as it was easy to splice in a leader tape, and cue it up. Easier than trying to cue up a cassette tape anyway.
It’s been a throwback reading all the stuff about how Columbia house worked. Things I’d forgotten like, Yeah, I got a dozen 8 tracks for a penny, but didn’t remember I had to buy more within a few years or something. And they sent that monthly recording automatically unless you sent the post card back first and said not to send it. I remember my mom getting mad about the records we didn’t want. The article also said usually teenagers intercepted the junk mail offer, and legally were not old enough to enter into this agreement. And with no consequences, they would change the names and keep ordering the free records without buying the others. And then in 2001 there was a website breech and the members private data was exposed. Oops.
When I started all this, we had a young bus driver who knew music and probably encouraged me to buy records. Thinking about what I was buying back then, I’d bet it was Styx, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. I know I have an 8-track of their recording, ‘Brain Salad Surgery‘.
Eventually I bought a Craig brand AM/FM eight track player. I thought it was pretty cool.
At some point I took it into the theater for use and when it wasn’t needed anymore the guys threw it out. I’m still sad about that.
But I had also moved up to a Yamaha stereo receiver and turntable, and Omega 300 speakers. The speakers I have out in the shop now. 40+ years old and going strong.
I remember my first CD’s; I bought the double CD of the soundtrack of Jesus Christ Superstar, and the Moody Blues Days of Future Past.
WHAT BRAND NAMES DO YOU REMEMBER FROM GROWING UP?
FIRST RECORDS / RECORDINGS PURCHASED?
Trail Baboon 