Columbia House relaunches as a “record club” service, probably costs more than one penny

Columbia House relaunches as a "record club" service, probably costs more than one penny

Hey, remember back in August when I wrote this awesome, tongue-in-cheek story about Columbia House filing for bankruptcy? It probably made your annual year-end list of “top funny music industry news stories” too, didn’t it? I know it made mine.

Well, turns out that, while there’s never a “wrong time” for impeccably-delivered news reporting, I might have spoken too soon regarding the actual demise of Columbia House. :( As The Wall Street Journal reported recently, Columbia House has a new owner, and that new owner apparently intends to “relaunch the service with a new emphasis on vinyl records.” Um. Well, yeah.

“What astute new owner is this,” you ask? Well, his name is John Lippman, and he recently purchased Columbia House for a cool $1.5 million. “You can see a yearning and an interest to try a new format,” Lippman said. And regardless of whether or not you agree with him, you’ve GOT to respect his use of the word “yearning” in that sentence. Very poetic.

After he was done “yearning,” he proceeded to “argue” (with “passion”) that there’s not enough selection in the marketplace these days when it comes to vinyl records (not to mention quality turntables and other music devices — check GearHungry.com). “For a category that is meaningful and growing rapidly, you don’t see a whole lot of choice,” he said, possibly while standing before a crowd of vinyl-crazed millions. And I imagine those crowds went wild. (Those crowds never heard of this service. Or this one.)

What exactly the newly revived Columbia House will offer in terms of its vinyl selection remains (shockingly) TBD at this point. But don’t worry. As a gritty, devil-may-care, intrepid, bold, insightful, witty, and committed music journalist of the finest caliber, I’ll certainly keep you all posted.

Check out Columbia House’s new website here.

Most Read



Etc.