Music Club CD's - are they the same as 'real' cd's?

When I was young, I remember seeing paper advertisements in magazines and newspapers for music services like BMG Music Club, and you could get a stack of albums for next to nothing. Always seemed too good to be true to me, and I wondered then (still do) if a music club was a way of pushing defective goods. Anyone ever join one of these music clubs, and still have albums that have stood up well? Any other insights? Thanks!!

 

Sometimes they're the same mastering of a particular album, sometimes they're different. Definitely not defective product tho...

 

I have owned many of them. A lot of people on this forum do not like them, but I have never had any issues.

 

I was a member of both Columbia House Club and BMG way back when. I still own a lot of music club CDs and I've never noticed a difference between any of them and regular store-bought CDs. It's just a personal anecdote but that's my take.

 

Defective, no...and sometimes a different mastering that makes them valuable. And there are some club pressings that come off the stamper early, and have enhanced value, too, I’m told.

 

IMO, they're fine. As far as I know they usually use the same masterings as the other available discs at the time. Their covers are slightly different (often indicating "manufactured for" Columbia House or BMG) so collectors may not like them as much. I have many discs (including box sets) from those clubs and I never had an issue with any of them.

I can't speak to the LP clubs; I've heard mixed stories about them. But you asked about CDs.

 

Even to this day (or before covid hit, anyway) if I spotted a music club cd when digging through the used bins, I'd pass over it - even one in pristine condition. I'd think to myself, "someone got rid of this because it's a music club cd - probably defective"

Sometimes, sometimes to myself I say, Woo hoo oo oo oo oo" (any Stones fans) lol

 

Yes, in the early '90s, BMG Music Club was a great way to expand my collection on a budget. Never bought the full-priced selections, but shopped the sales and signed up everyone I knew to earn bonus selections. They were real glass-mastered CDs. Apart from replacing the bar code with the BMG inventory number, they were pretty much the same. They were not defective - music clubs licensed their titles and pressed their own. In some cases, they pressed rarities. Years ago, a club version of "The Monkees Greatest Hits" on Arista had a unique-on-CD version of "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You". Others can tell you about expensive '90s albums available on vinyl only from the clubs. All things being equal, I prefer original retail versions, but I'm not gonna replace my many club CDs. Oh, yeah, Columbia Record Club in the mid-'70s, but not to such a great extent.

 

Interesting!!!

 

I didn't realize there were lp clubs. Interesting!!! I learn new things all the time on SHF.

 

The main difference was in the renumeration for the artists. If you bought club editions the artists received nothing.

 

What do you mean by glass-mastered?

 

Proper silver-pressed CDs - not CD-Rs.

 

Oh wow!!! Didn't know that. There's probably a digital equivalent of this practice now, I'm assuming?

 

Some contain the "forum favorite" mastering of a particular album.

Example...Steve Hoffman's mastering of The Who- Who's Next is found on a Columbia Record Club (CRC) disc.

 

Been discussed a few times.
You don't want to pass up the US Sanyo Fleetwood Mac Rumours Club.
As stated some contain unique masterings's and face design.
And yes they are real CD's.

 

The clubs sold 8-tracks and reel-to-reel tapes long after they could no longer be found in stores, but oddly enough the ones I remember stopped offering LPs at the same time as most chain stores.

 

Ah ok

 

My dad let me join Columbia House Record Club back in 68 or 69. I still have a couple of the albums I got in the initial 12.

Also joined BMG cd club back in the 80s. Never had an issue with their cds. Still have those, as far as I know.

 

I find it curious that somebody would think the music club cds were cd-r. Both Columbia and BMG were music labels. Why would they go out of their way to manufacture an inferior product, or something somebody burned in their kitchen?
In my opinion, they're considered inferior because the back cover art is compromised by the music club text box, sort of like a cutout.

 

Yes, no need to avoid them nor to get rid of them. I wouldn't collect them either - unless they were special. Now, if I'm collecting (a large portion of) an artist's discography, I don't want to mix in club versions. Years ago, I had a Capitol Record Club pressing of "A Hard Day's Night" on United Artists. I thought it was neat to have that one on an obviously Capitol pressing.

Yes indeed! Never got any, though.

 

There was another thread on this topic that had a link to a documentary created by a guy who worked at Columbia House and he addresses this topic, if I recall correctly.

Great doc... worth watching if someone remembers the title and has the link.

 

Those BMG's really liked to muck up the art. Front and back- CRC had more respect in this part thank God

 

Yes-Union LP CRC LP is real as well

 

Those 80's 8-Track releases have some degree of collector value depending on the title. One in particular Bruce Springsteen Live 75-85 box set. Also according to at least one site IIRC Guns N Roses/Appetite... was only a few months too late from beihg a record club 8-Track release.