After seventy-one years, The Columbia House announces that they will be shutting down. Pitchfork reports that after switching owner’s multiple times the house “filed for bankruptcy in 2015 and stopped selling music entirely, sticking with DVDs only. Outside its longtime reputation as a CD juggernaut, the company was frequently criticized for its shady business practices, including negative option billing, where a customer continued to get billed after signing up for a service unless they expressly requested a cancellation” (Pitchfork).

A message on the company’s website stated that “After 9/15/26, The Columbia House will no longer be accepting new orders” … “You can still purchase books with your credit card or credits as normal” (Pitchfork). This announcement was seen on a YouTube channel called Channel 33 RPM and was written by the blog Cord Cutter News. The Columbia House was originally named Columbia Record Club in 1955 by its music label to send songs and albums to unreachable consumers. They promised to mail sets of LP’s for cheap prices in exchange for buying additional releases nearby at full price. It eventually hit sixteen million members in 1996, “in large part due to its ubiquitous commercials, including one soundtracked by what sure sounds like the guy who did the Full House theme song” (Pitchfork). With that being said there is still time to visit The Columbia House before it closes for good. Individuals can go on their website and look for new releases, albums, songs and CDs until September 15th. Allowing users of the site to appreciate its perks for music before it is no longer accessible to users.