Columbia House, a long-standing mail-order club known for its famous offer of 12 CDs for a penny to new members, has declared its closure after 71 years. The announcement of the closure was initially visible on the company’s website but was later removed. CBC News has attempted to contact Columbia House for further details about its future plans.
The notice of closure was first noticed by music enthusiasts over the weekend. It stated that after 9/15/26, Columbia House would stop accepting new orders. Founded in 1955 as Columbia Record Club by Columbia Records, the company aimed to reach consumers in areas with limited access to record stores. Over the years, the mail-order business expanded to include cassettes, CDs, and later DVDs of movies and TV shows.
The company attracted early customers through magazine and newspaper inserts offering multiple records, tapes, or CDs for a penny, with an agreement to buy a minimum number of releases monthly. Columbia House’s model was successful, with reports indicating it had shipped over a billion records and represented 15% of all CD sales by 1994.
As online music options grew, Columbia House’s revenue declined, leading to the decision to cease music sales in 2010 under new ownership by Direct Brands. The company shifted its focus solely to DVD sales and closed its Canadian operations.
Despite a bankruptcy filing in the US in 2015 by its parent company, Filmed Entertainment Inc., Columbia House continued operating on DVD sales until this recent closure announcement. The company reported its revenue peak occurred in 1996 at around $1.4 billion US.
The news of Columbia House’s closure comes amidst a resurgence of interest in physical media, including vinyl records. Data from Music Canada highlighted a successful year for vinyl sales in 2025, with record stores experiencing increased business.
While many had bid farewell to Columbia House following its bankruptcy filing in 2015, this recent development has sparked nostalgia among music fans, prompting social media tributes and jokes about past unpaid fees. CBC News has made attempts to reach out to Columbia House for comments following the removal of the closure notice from its website, but no response has been received yet.