COLUMBIA HOUSE IS FINALLY CLOSING, SO I GUESS GEN X IS OFF THE HOOK:

Wait a minute, you’re probably thinking, It was still around? That’s because Columbia House shifted its model, adding videotapes, DVDs, and Blu-rays. Eventually, it shifted primarily to physical video. Today, Columbia House specializes in more obscure Blu-ray and DVD titles.

Streaming has changed the way people consume media, and while it’s convenient, it also puts us at the mercy of woke studios that may alter or even take down content that the cultural overlords deem offensive or outdated. With the de-emphasis on physical media, combined with the ubiquity of Walmart, Target, and Amazon for those who do buy physical media, Columbia House had little choice but to shut down.

More from Cord Cutter:

The shutdown closes a notable chapter in American consumer culture. For decades the familiar advertisements offering multiple albums for a penny or a dollar appeared in magazines, newspapers, and television. Families across the country built large collections through the mail-order system, and the company’s negative-option billing practices became a widely discussed feature of the membership model. While those practices drew criticism over the years, the core idea of convenient, discounted access to entertainment helped popularize recorded music and home video on a national scale.

It’s bittersweet, isn’t it? Maybe if we all took up a collection of what our younger selves owed Columbia House, we could keep it afloat.

Yes, I didn’t know it was still around either, but one part of their equation is still sound. As Steve would say, “Buy. Physical. Media.”