The Mid Century Vault

Currently Playing: 052 The Grift That Kept On Grifting -11 Records for a Penny -The Genius (and Trap) of Record Clubs 📀

Remember taping a Lincoln penny to a insert card and waiting 6 weeks for a box of vinyl to arrive? It felt like a miracle, but for millions of music fans in the 70s and 80s, it was the start of a "downward spiral" of unwanted albums and mounting debt. In Episode 52 of The Mid Century Vault, Philip Mershon explores the bizarre, predatory history of the mail-order record club. From the "negative option billing" that fueled suburban nightmares to the creative "mail fraud" committed by teenagers just wanting the latest Van Halen record, we’re uncovering how Columbia House, RCA, and Capitol Records built an empire on human procrastination. In this episode, we discuss: The origin of the subscription model (The Book of the Month Club). Why shipping 11 albums for a penny was actually a brilliant business move. The "Starland Vocal Band" trap: How negative option billing worked. How kids in the 70s and 80s gamed the system using their pets' names. 💬 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: What was the one "Selection of the Month" you forgot to send back? Did you end up with an accidental copy of Percy Faith or the Starland Vocal Band? Tell us your Columbia House horror stories in the comments! #VinylRecords #ColumbiaHouse #MusicHistory #70sNostalgia #TheMidCenturyVault #RecordClubs #ClassicRock If you'd like to further support my work, here's my buy me a coffee link: https://coff.ee/philipmershon For more Mid Century Vault adventures, just go here: https://www.youtube.com/user/philipmershon New episodes release every Friday and Sunday. Please watch videos to the end, this really helps as much as liking and commenting, which, of course, helps like crazy. Be sure to subscribe and become part of our new community, thanks!