BMG Music Service

[waxx]

Does anyone around here have experience with the BMG Music Service? My roommate recently got sucked in and apparently he'll get five ?free? CDs if I sign up. I've always looked at BMG like some sort of pyramid scheme, as they're out to screw you ASAP. I've been looking into it lately and it actually doesn't seem like that bad of a deal if you're smart about it, i.e. you get your "free" CDs, fulfill you're obligations (buy one or two CDs depending on your agreement) and get out as fast as possible, before they start loading you up with the "CD of the month" in which they automagically bill you. Does anyone have any good or bad experience with a service like this?


http://www.bmgmusic.com/

 

[UsandThem]

Originally posted by: waxx
Does anyone around here have experience with the BMG Music Service? My roommate recently got sucked in and apparently he'll get five ?free? CDs if I sign up. I've always looked at BMG like some sort of pyramid scheme, as they're out to screw you ASAP. I've been looking into it lately and it actually doesn't seem like that bad of a deal if you're smart about it, i.e. you get your "free" CDs, fulfill you're obligations (buy one or two CDs depending on your agreement) and get out as fast as possible, before they start loading you up with the "CD of the month" in which they automagically bill you. Does anyone have any good or bad experience with a service like this?

:thumbsup:

They bet on you forgetting to return you cards. If you buy the minimum and then cancel, you do get a pretty decent deal.

 

[tami]

yeah i've used it. it's not bad at all, but i cancel after i fulfill my obligations for exactly the reasons you stated. however, sometimes there are some hot deals (funcash on columbia house, for example) that try to keep you dedicated to their service, but eventually, you'll get sick of declining director's selections or whatever they are.

for CDs, i usually go to ebay, and for DVDs, i usually go to ebay or amazon now.

 

[tami]

btw, you can decline the "CD of the month" over the web nowadays. much easier than returning cards.

 

[Jeraden]

If you can actually find a bunch of cds you want on there, then its a good deal. I've been a member several times throughout my life. Usually you can join on a deal that gives you like 12 for $1 or 10 for a penny or something like that, then a couple more to buy in the future at regular price. Joining through him might get you a crappy deal compared to what you can get on your own.

 

[waxx]

thanks, i just may give it a shot. i hear they press their own CDs.

 

[SouthPaW1227]

go to dvdtalk.com and check in one of those forums.

I signed up w/ a "Signup and get 4 extra free CDs!" deal so I got 12 free CDs + 4 free CDs, hadta buy 2 at full price but on the 2 at full price I used a coupon w/ each one like "Buy 1 CD, get 3 free!" so I got 12 + 4 + (1+3) + (1+3) = 24 CDs for the price of , and like $1.xx shipping per CD on the free ones...not bad

allofmp3 is still better, so I cancelled

 

[nakedfrog]

I know you used to be able to have them discontinue the auto-sending of CDs altogether. Or maybe that was Columbia House, I dunno, but that's what I did when I had it ten years ago. You can get good deals if you buy multiple CDs when they do the free shipping deals and such. However, IIRC, the band makes even LESS from records sold through clubs than they do from normal retail outlets.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: waxx
thanks, i just may give it a shot. i hear they press their own CDs.

There will normally be something on the sleeve and/or CD itself that indicates it was printed by/for BMG or such.

 

[Dubb]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
I know you used to be able to have them discontinue the auto-sending of CDs altogether. Or maybe that was Columbia House, I dunno, but that's what I did when I had it ten years ago. You can get good deals if you buy multiple CDs when they do the free shipping deals and such. However, IIRC, the band makes even LESS from records sold through clubs than they do from normal retail outlets.

...which is pretty much zilch to start with. if you want to support the band, see a show.

the trouble the clubs is, they don't have all that many cds to choose from. I've done it a couple times through both columbia house and BMG, and I alwas would go down my list and they'd have about 1/5 to 1/4 of what I was looking for...

 

[SludgeFactory]

yeah it's OK as long you don't buy anything more than the absolute minimum. All the "sales" and offers they throw at you to tempt you to buy more than the minimum is guaranteed to raise your average cost.

Columbia House CD club recently got bought out by BMG, it's in the process of being shut down.

 

[Triumph]

Been in BMG many times over the years, never had a problem. Back in the days of mail order, whenever I would get the monthly CD, I would just write "Return to Sender" on it and drop it in the mail. Never once got charged after doing this probably a dozen times. Nowadays its much easier over the web, they email you to deny or approve your featured selection. Takes 2 seconds.

Even if you stay in, the prices ain't bad. Just wait around for a buy 1, get 3 free deal. Usually works out to 8-10 bucks a CD with shipping. I'm willing to pay that.

 

[waxx]

thanks for all the good info.