Columbia House has made a surprise announcement after seven decades in the humming business of mail-order music.
The iconic company that sold millions of analogue copies of CDs, cassettes, and vinyl by mail is shutting its door for public.
Columbia House was regarded as the generational subscription-based music company way before streaming existed.
As soon as the statement on company’s portal surfaced, it sparked buzz on social media.
Although the announcement flashed on the company’s portal has since been removed, a customer service representative confirmed the news to CNN, the outlet has reported.
The notice on the Columbia House website was first spotted by a YouTuber, Channel 33 RPM.
“End of an era. After September 15, 2026, the Columbia House will no longer be accepting new orders,” the message reads.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the Columbia House became a household name for offering mail orders of vinyl, tapes, CDs and later DVDs each month.
What made Columbia House a sensation among Gen X and Millennials was its strategy for ads offering ‘11 tapes or records for $1’ or ‘12 CDs for 1 cent’—but the catch was monthly bills unless you cancelled in time.
At the peak of its business in 1996, the company fetched nearly $1.4 billion in revenues.
But amid the digital mushroom growth, its business declined over time.
Though the company made strides to shift focus to streaming, it struggled to get licensing agreements that could help it compete with larger competitors such as iTunes and Spotify.
In 2015, Columbia House’s parent company filed for bankruptcy, and current owner Edge Line Ventures bought the brand.
2026-08-19 19:43:00
