Members Agitator Posted November 21, 2011 Members Share Posted November 21, 2011 Interesting article on the rise and fall of the record club (yes, I was a member): http://thephoenix.com/Boston/music/129722-rise-and-fall-of-the-columbia-house-record-clu/?page=1#TOPCONTENT I was a little astonished to learn that some version of this record club was still in operation as of earlier this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted November 22, 2011 Members Share Posted November 22, 2011 I enjoyed that article. Brought back a lot of memories. I joined an off-shoot of the CRC back in the 70s. I don't remember the name now, but I preferred it at the time in that while they didn't offer 12-records-for-a-penny, they offered no commitment and all purchases at about half-price. It wasn't around very long though. But I shared those same memories of Terre Haute, IN being some sort of magical place. I joined the BMG music club a couple of times over the years--most recently when they finally dropped the "gotta send in the card to NOT get the selection" BS and was still a member when they turned into yourmusic.com and I was purchasing some nice titles at discounted prices right up until the day they shut down. I used them pretty much just to scour the discount sections, and they were usually a pretty good source for great deals on boxed-sets. But, like the article stated, most labels had dropped out and they had a very poor selection during the last couple of years. I had long heard stories about how artists were getting ripped off by the record clubs, but I guess I never realized it was quite as bad as that article indicated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Agitator Posted November 22, 2011 Author Members Share Posted November 22, 2011 I joined an off-shoot of the CRC back in the 70s. I don't remember the name now, but I preferred it at the time in that while they didn't offer 12-records-for-a-penny, they offered no commitment and all purchases at about half-price. It wasn't around very long though. But I shared those same memories of Terre Haute, IN being some sort of magical place.I know what you're talking about but I think they were a competitor, not an offshoot? I was reading some comic books from the early 70s not that long ago and there was an ad for this club that had no commitment to buy additional records... there was a little chart that compared them to their competitors. I love looking at those old record club ads (usually stacks of 8-track tapes) where you see the popular rock and pop albums of the day listed next to Montovani strings albums and whatnot. It's a real time capsule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted November 22, 2011 Members Share Posted November 22, 2011 I know what you're talking about but I think they were a competitor, not an offshoot? I was reading some comic books from the early 70s not that long ago and there was an ad for this club that had no commitment to buy additional records... there was a little chart that compared them to their competitors. They didn't advertise any connection with CRC, but the records I bought were stamped "CRC" (except for the ones that were actually on Columbia, of course) and the address was Terre Haute. So I presume they must have been offshoot....wow...wish I could remember the name now...it had four words, IIRC---damn...sucks getting old lol. I love looking at those old record club ads (usually stacks of 8-track tapes) where you see the popular rock and pop albums of the day listed next to Montovani strings albums and whatnot. It's a real time capsule. Yes. I remember those "stacks". And I believe they were probably the only source for pre-recorded open-reel versions of albums for many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Agitator Posted November 22, 2011 Author Members Share Posted November 22, 2011 They didn't advertise any connection with CRC, but the records I bought were stamped "CRC" (except for the ones that were actually on Columbia, of course) and the address was Terre Haute. So I presume they must have been offshoot....Interesting... I did not know that. Maybe I'll see if I can dig up one of the ads and scan it. wow...wish I could remember the name now...it had four words, IIRC---damn...sucks getting old lol.Don't it just? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members n8cJohn Posted November 22, 2011 Members Share Posted November 22, 2011 I quit participating in the record clubs when I read an article in Musician Magazine on the anatomy of a record deal - back in the early nineties, I believe. It was the issue that had Motley Cru on the cover about their latest $25M record contract. The article described how none of the artists were recieving any money from any record club sales. That just didn't sit well with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members n8cJohn Posted November 22, 2011 Members Share Posted November 22, 2011 Here is the magazine. I love the headline. http://www.ebay.com/itm/MUSICIAN-magazine-1992-VInce-Nei-Motley-Crue-Nirvana-/220111473334 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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