Columbia House to Close, Ending the Penny-Per-Album Mail-Order Era
Columbia House, the 1955 mail-order music club that later pivoted to DVDs and Blu-rays, will shut down on September 15, 2026. Once a powerhouse with millions of members, the business faded as big-box retailers and piracy reshaped the industry; after a 2015 bankruptcy and a failed vinyl-pivot, the remaining online catalog is winding down.