I would add only a couple of comment to those already expressed about
Columbia's record club.  I 've been a member for five years now, and was
upgraded to Play status (12 more freebies and no automatic shipments) last
Fall.  I also belong to the BMG club.

1.  Breadth of Catalogue:  BMG offers such interesting labels as ASV,
daCapo, and Hyperion in its monthly offerings; Columbia/Sony has Harmonia
Mundi, but not much else.

2.  Book-keeping:  I just received a gentle reminder from Columbia
that I still have to buy three more releases at full price to fulfill
my commitment (even though I have bought several boxed sets and operas at
whopping discounts).  So they do keep track and count full-price purchases
as a major element of continued good standing.

3.  Quality:  I ran into two copies of DG's Damnation of Faust on BMG that
skipped and chattered on my CD player; these discs were manufactured under
license in Indiana.  When I tried the same release from Columbia/Sony, I
received German pressings (for the same sale price) and everything worked
fine from the get-go.  So there is an element of paperback vs.  leather
binding in some of the products released through the clubs.

4.  The Future:  Sony recently purchased CD Now and has placed a new
head of recorded music over the club and the on-line outlet.  As a result,
I'm hanging on to my membership in the hope that the synergies of working
with a successful Internet source of CDs will benefit the processes and
offerings of Columbia's club.  Between the advance of downloading
technology and the escalation of e-commerce, the clubs will have to
hustle to keep up.

Dick Claeys
[log in to unmask]