Mail-Order Music Legend Columbia House Is Closing Its Doors
The mail-order music service started in 1955, and its last vestige has been a selling movies since 2015. Mail-Order Music Legend Columbia House Is Closing Its Doors Travis Bland
Columbia House, the renowned mail-order music club that once promised customers 12 albums for just a penny, is set to close its doors on September 15th, 2026. Despite the company's website announcing its closure, Columbia House has maintained an online catalog of DVDs and Blu-rays. However, this venture, too, will soon come to an end.
The history of Columbia House, which began in 1955 as Columbia Record Club, is a tale of innovation and decline. The company aimed to attract record buyers by offering a membership fee for monthly new records, and in 1996, it boasted a membership of 16 million. Yet, sales began to wane as big box retailers and the internet rose, alongside the issue of online music piracy.
The company underwent several ownership changes before finally being acquired by BMG Music Services in 2015. Although a plan to expand into vinyl deliveries was never realized, Columbia House's legacy paved the way for its pivot into digital media sales.
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