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Date: | Tue, 12 Oct 1999 16:39:26 -0700 |
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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]
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