BMG CD Club FAQ

Is the BMG 11-for-1 deal good?

Yes. You have to put up with their frequent mailings. You can elect the "POSITIVE OPTION" and not have to answer each mailing to avoid an order. You should expect to pay approximately $2.00 per disc for shipping and handling in the US and more elsewhere, but even at that price and assuming that you will buy one of their discs for $16.00, you still do well. Assuming, of course, that you want at least 11 of the discs that they are offering for sale. Some states requires sales tax on BMG sales, and some states tax "free" discs, but the tax still is small compared to the discount from retail.

The BMG collection contains over 2500 discs. This includes classical, pop, jazz, and other. All BMG discs come from the larger labels. Some rumored that BMG discs are inferior to the discs sold in normal retail chains. This has not been substantiated. In fact, BMG distributes their discs through retail chains, as well as through the mail, so you may get a BMG disc either way.

BMG has a web site. There is also a great CD Club FAQ on the web. Try these sites:

http://www.bmgmusicservice.com

ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/ra/ramseyms/cd/CD_Club.FAQ

What should I do if there is a problem dealing with BMG?

The number to reach BMG is 317-692-9200. Their people have been very cooperative with me and others. It is always good policy to confirm any phone call with a letter, restating the problem and the resolution you were promised over the phone. It is good practice to write down the name of the person you speak with. You can also contact BMG by FAX at 317-542-6090.

If BMG sends you something that you didn't order, DON'T OPEN THE PACKAGE. Write REFUSED on the package and put it back in the mailbox. They will accept the return and credit your account for any charges.

BMG has hired a marketing firm to send out information on the classical club. Call 800-264-9555, but don't expect customer service from this number.

How do I get out of the BMG racket?

If you have taken any discs from BMG, you must either return what you have ordered or fulfill the terms of your original agreement. This often means buying one disc at full price and paying for the shipping on all discs you ordered and received.

Once you have done this, you can quit the club at any time. Take your next order form and mark it with a bold marker in large letters "CANCEL MEMBERSHIP" and mail it to: BMG COMPACT DISC CLUB, PO BOX 91413, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46291 USA. It may take a month to fully take effect, but they will honor your request. While waiting for the cancel order to take effect, be sure to return all future order forms marked the same way. Otherwise, you may wind up with unwanted discs.

How do I get the most out of BMG?

Only buy one disc at full price, fulfilling your obligation. Request the "POSITIVE OPTION" so that you save on postage. Only buy from special fliers. Every month, except November and December, they send out a "Two for half price then one free" flier. They have almost all of the stuff in the regular fliers. They even offer "Buy one get two free" sometimes. Wait for those special deals. You can even order discs from an October catalog using the order form that came in the February catalog.

You can get even more out of BMG by signing up, getting 8 discs for the price of one, quitting, signing up again, etc. People have done this successfully. BMG reserves the right to deny membership to anyone, so you run a very slight risk of being denied membership the 20th time. However, I have never heard of anyone ever being denied membership for any reason.

The file CDClubFAQ.txt explains more than you ever wanted to know about the BMG and Columbia music clubs. It is available by FTP from: ftp.netcom.com in /pub/ra/ramseyms/cd or by gopher at: biogopher.wustl.edu

An HTML version can be found at: http://www.blooberry.com/cdfaq/

Online BMG and CH Popular Catalogs are available at: gopher://biographer.wustl.edu or http://biogopher.wustl.edu:70/1/audio/bmg

Online BMG Classical Catalog is available by FTP from: ftp.gmd.de in /music/cd-catalogs