Wildly Popular Music Service Is No More

Check those old CD's and even the cassettes in your collection. Do you remember where you got them? Chances are pretty good you and many of your friends got some of them here.

Columbia House is no more. Their parent company, Filmed Entertainment Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday and is selling off everything that's left of what was once a $1 billion a year business. Columbia House always seemed like a deal too good to pass up. They were in every magazine (EVERY one weren't they?) advertising six to eight CD's for a penny or even a dozen cassettes for that price. Of course, you had to buy other music at full price to fulfill your "contract," and pay crazy shipping charges on each of them. Still, doing the math as a youngster, it still seemed like a no-brainer to join.

Just 20 years ago, Columbia House was responsible for 15 percent of all CD's sold. They actually quit selling music five years ago and went solely to movies. Yeah, that wasn't a great plan either. I believe I only did the Columbia House program, as I call it, one time. However, I still remember how exciting it was when they arrived. I don't even recall which cassettes I have that came from them, but somehow all of them hold a little dearer spot in my heart tonight. I still have many of them stored away in a closet, and I'm pretty sure I have a cassette player somewhere around here. Maybe I'll get a few out and see if they'll still make that small whirring sound today's kids will never hear. Goodnight Columbia House and thank you for the music and the memories.

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[via Huffington Post]