Britannia Music Club (19692007) was a British mail-order company owned by

PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

which sponsored the

Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

. The company was acquired by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

as part of PolyGram in 1998, and closed in 2007. The direct marketing format was to offer an unbeatable discounted offer from PolyGram's catalogue, such as an offer of four albums for £1 each - or Solti's recording of

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

's Ring for the Britannia Classical Club - which then required the member to buy six CDs in the first year and three in the second year at full price. Together with bonus offers. The company also engaged in on-line sales from 1998 to 2007.Billboard - 25 Dec 1999 - 1 janv. 2000 - Page 90 "In the year ending in June, both companies are said to have had combined sales of $460 million and an operating profit of $50 million. Sales of $480 million are forecast for the year to June 2000. Britannia, launched in 1969 by Poly Gram, has ..." The club is mentioned in the song "

Uffington Wassail Uffington is the name of several places: ; England * Uffington, Lincolnshire :* Uffington and Barnack railway station :* Uffington Rural District *Uffington, Oxfordshire :* Uffington railway station (Uffington Junction) * Uffington, Shropshire ...

" on the 2000 album ''Trouble over Bridgwater'' by Half Man Half Biscuit.

References

{{reflist Music retailers of the United Kingdom Mail-order retailers Defunct retail companies of the United Kingdom Retail companies established in 1969 Companies disestablished in 2007