We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.

How Much Money Did AOL Spend Giving Away Free CDs?

Updated: Nov 26, 2018
Views: 2,109
Share

If you were receiving snail mail in the 1990s, you undoubtedly found a few free CD-ROMs from American Online in the your mailbox. Maybe even dozens, over the course of the decade. In an attempt to corner the dial-up Internet market in the United States, AOL spent more than $300 million USD saturating the market with trial discs, which offered users limited free access. Steve Case, the company's CEO at the time, said the direct-marketing deluge worked, as AOL went from 200,000 subscribers in 1992, when the company went public, to about 25 million users a decade later.

AOL anyone?

  • In 1992, AOL trailed Prodigy and CompuServe in the online service market. Instead of focusing on spending money on television advertising, AOL went rogue. One of its first campaigns gave away CDs in Blockbuster video stores.
  • Free offers came at you from everywhere. The CDs could be found in cereal boxes, on airplane meal trays, at NASCAR races, on seats at the Super Bowl -- and even tucked into packages of Omaha Steaks.
  • Today, there are collectors who covet the discs, says Vice writer Arielle Pardes, adding that the biggest devotee has more than 4,000 unique AOL discs. There’s still a brisk market for them on eBay.
Share

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.wise-geek.com/how-much-money-did-aol-spend-giving-away-free-cds.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.