On a different but related note, according to an e-mail I received last night and conversations with customer service reps today, Columbia House will be shutting down as of September 1, 2005 due to its having been acquired by BMG Music Service.
I surmise this is a function of the Sony/BMG joint venture, as I know that--at least before private equity bought a stake--CoHo was co-owned by Warner and Sony. Between the label joint venture and WMG's sale to, again, private equity, this was arguably only a matter of time.
It's my understanding that CoHo members' bonus point accruals will be rolled over into a new BMG account. If, like me, you're already a BMG member, you'll end up with two accounts and have to call to consolidate.
-p