Columbia House, the mail-order music club that once offered 12 albums for a penny to new members, is closing its doors on September 15, 2026, the company announced on its website.
The service began in 1955 as Columbia Record Club, an experiment by Columbia Records to build membership by sending customers new records monthly in exchange for a fee. The model succeeded, growing to 16 million members by 1996. However, sales declined through the late 1990s and early 2000s as big-box retailers, the internet, and online music piracy expanded.
Columbia House changed ownership multiple times around the turn of the millennium before filing for bankruptcy in 2015. New ownership then pivoted the business to selling DVDs and Blu-rays online. A 2015 plan to operate as a vinyl delivery service did not materialise.
Source: Consequence
