Mail Order Music Service Columbia House Gets Boarded Up [VIDEO]

When I heard the news this morning that Columbia House was going away, my immediate response was I thought had been gone for years already. In 1977 I was ten years old. I had just started listening to WBLM and was discovering new music from Peter Frampton, Boston, and (don't judge me) Barry Manilow (got introduced to him on the Merv Griffin show I think).  Columbia House used to have print ads in Rolling Stone and TV guide. The ads offered you a large amount of albums or tapes for virtually nothing….up front. It was like 12 albums for a penny sometimes and other times a pile of music for a dollar. Yes it was very exciting to get all those records at once in the mail. BUT. Each month after the first big booty arrived, Columbia House automatically sent a new album. If you didn't like it, you had to send it back by their deadline or you would be billed for it. I was ten, you think I remembered to send any back? I'm sure my parents were delighted with bills.

Columbia House stopped selling music in 2010 after more than 50 years of business, Surprisingly, they continued the business by selling movies and TV series on DVD. Seriously tough, when is the last time you saw an ad for Columbia House?  Thought they died long ago. The company raked in @1.4 billion in sales at their peak in the 90′s. Last years sales totaled only $17 million. RIP Columbia House.

Check out this awesomely cheesy Columbia House commercial from 1977! Love those stacked up 8-Tracks!!