Unveiling the True Cost Behind Popular CD Clubs: BMG vs. YourMusic.com
Columbia House, once among the most prominent names in music clubs, has recently been gobbled up by BMG. Now if you try to find CD’s on Columbia House, you’ll only find a message about the acquisition and a link leading you to once rival BMG’s site. Who now will take the place of the music club giant BMG’s competitor? YourMusic.com appears to be emerging as one industry’s top dogs. So which to choose to buy online music – the fresh young company or the established industry giant?
| Service | BMG CD Music Club | YourMusic.com CD Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Promotion | All CDs $6.99 + Free Shipping | |||
| How it Works | You receive 7 free CDs, pay for S&H, purchase 1 CD at regular price, then receive 4 more free CDs | All CDs $6.99, order 1 or more per month. No catches. No commitment. | ||
| Average Cost Per CD | $3.92 per CD | $6.99 per CD | ||
| Estimated Total Cost | 13 CDs plus shipping and handling: $74.23 | No commitment, but the cost of 13 CDs: $90.87 | ||
| Commitment | Buy 1 CD at regular price ($16.98) during next year | None! | ||
| Distinguising Feature | Tell-a-Friend program that allows you to earn free CDs when your friend joins. | No Catches. No Commitment. You only get the music you add to your queue. | ||
| Guarantee | 10 day risk-free trial | Cancel anytime | ||
| The Fine Print | Members are automatically sent BMG's club selection CDs for review every 3 weeks. If you do not return them within 10 days, you must buy them. | Members are automatically shipped a CD from their personally selected queue once a month. However, if the queue is empty, you will not recieve a CD. | ||
| Best Buys Choice | If you have a lot of friends looking for cheap CDs, BMG is your best buy: you can take advantage of the tell-a-friend program and earn free CDs. | If the price is not an issue, yourmusic.com is definitely your best buy because you only receive the CDs you want. | ||
| Sign up | Sign up for the BMG Music Club now! | Sign up for the yourmusic.com now! | ||
BMG vs. YourMusic.com: Cost
The obvious allure of music clubs is the promise of a mailbox full of free CDs. But are they really free? It’s hard not to rack your brain trying to figure out how you may end up paying for these free CDs in shipping charges and potentially overpriced CD’s that you’re committed to buying later. BMG offers 12 CDs for the price of 1, thought you still have to pay the $2.79 shipping and handling charge (which they don’t willingly offer the price of in their FAQ’s) for each selection.
Let’s do the math:
Shipping and handling on 11 free CDs: $2.79 x 11 = $30.69
1 regular priced CD (most are $18.98): $18.98
Shipping and handling on regular priced CD: $2.79
Total price for 12 CDs: $52.46
For starters, YourMusic doesn’t try to lure you in with promises of a gang of free CDs. Instead, every CD has a low sticker price of $6.99 vs. the $14.98 - $24.98 sticker price of the CD’s you’re obligated to buy at BMG once you’ve taken the free CD bait.
Better yet, there is NO shipping cost with YourMusic.com which is nice. There’s something discomforting about shelling out cash for shipping with BMG when you could have just run down to the local Walmart and picked it up cheaper, and without shipping charges. Buying through YourMusic.com does pan out to be cheaper than buying in the store because not only is the base price less than in stores there are no irritating shipping charges. But buying through YourMusic.com is not necessarily cheaper than buying from BMG.
Comparison of BMG vs. YourMusic.com for the cost of 12 CDs:
BMG: $52.46
YourMusic.com: $83.88
…but wait, there’s more!
BMG vs. YourMusic.com: Commitments
Many people have a fear of commitment – even when it comes to buying CDs online. It’s discomforting for some to know that they must buy a certain number of more CDs from one vendor in the future. With BMG, that certain number is 1 CD and the time period in which you have to purchase it within is 1 year. Not too bad for even the most commitment-phobic.
There is a little hitch though. While you’re a member, you’re going to be receiving CDs selected by the music club in the mail every 3 weeks or so (21 times a year) that you can either keep and pay for or send back within ten days. Perhaps they’re hoping you don’t send them back. But if you do send them back, you’re not going to rack up any charges. It’s just that you’ll have to be diligent about returning the packages if you don’t want them.
While you’re a member of YourMusic.com, you’ll be automatically shipped a CD once a month for $6.99. However, you get to load your queue with the music you want, and therefore don’t receive random music in the mail that you’re not interested in. You’ll need to keep your queue filled though. If you’re monthly shipping date rolls around and your queue is empty, you’re getting charged and you’re not getting a CD. As long as you’re a member and continue to have 1 CD per month shipped to you automatically, you can order as many other CDs as you’d like at $6.99 a piece also.
Comparison of BMG vs. YourMusic – total commitment cost:
BMG – 13 CD’s plus shipping and handling: $74.23
YourMusic.com (no commitment, but the cost of 13 CDs): $90.87
Best Buys Choice: BMG vs. YourMusic
BMG, though more confusing and initially appearing to cost more, actually costs less. Your best buys choice depends on how much of a hassle it is to return BMG’s monthly music selection if you don’t want to keep it. However, you may love the club selection shipments as they allow you to sample new music which makes BMG an even better deal.
UPDATE: BMG and yourmusic.com have been purchased by Columbia House.