From this set of links:
"• Thought this USA Today article about slipping DVD sales was intriguing, although it failed to mention the three most likely reasons: First, Hollywood screwed up the DVD market by loading every movie with "EXTRA STUFF!" when, invariably, the extra stuff always sucks. For every "Boogie Nights," where it's actually worth it to own the DVD, there are 50 terrible ones that waste your time and money. Second, people are tired of buying a DVD for a movie, only to see that same movie be re-released a year later with more extras. It's practically consumer fraud. You should be able to return the old DVD and put the money toward the new one. And, third, since every single movie is constantly on TV now, and since you can rent anything, there's not the same urgency to buy DVDs that there was 10 years ago (or even five years ago). Why do I need to own "Shawshank" when it's on every night on one of the 475 movie channels we're getting?
(My buddy Ace has a fourth theory that I don't necessarily agree with, but it's interesting: He has reached the point that he's too lazy to even stand up, find a DVD and put it in the DVD player, fast-forward through all the ads to get to the main menu, then press "Play." He'd rather just plant himself on the sofa, flip channels and find something without moving. Now, I'm the same way ... but is everyone else in the country equally lazy? Probably not.)"
The article and Simmons' commentary reinforces my entrepreneurial subsistence argument. The rental market is holding steady, but our store is definitely slipping.
We'll see. I have confidence in my Dad.
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2 comments:
The author forgot to mention "On Demand" as another reason for brick and mortar rentals to be down. Anytime the 200+ channels of cable lets me down with reruns of "The Replacements" or "Cops" I can hit the "On Demand" button and get anything I want (including shitty porn). Rental media is where all of the "entertainment markets" are heading - be on the look out for "subscription based MP3" by December. I can't wait.
My response to Apple's announcment that it was getting into the movie rental business:
To me the keys to a real Internet entertainment revolution:
1. Download speeds-One will have to be able to download DVD quality movies instantaneously and seamlessly without interference with other surfing activities. (I can see some people starting to download the night before or in the morning but this is not good enough for the general populace.)
2. The computer replacing the TV as the living room's focus-I know very few people who arrange their living rooms around computers. I can see this eventually happening, but we are talking about a fundamental switch. A lot of computer use is private, and mixing it with the living room will reduce some necessary privacy.
3. Personalized (Relationship) Marketing-People like to discover a hidden gem that they have never seen an ad for in their life. They like my Dad telling them that this movie they have never heard of is good movie. I think this personalized marketing and hidden gem factor is more important than layouts and signage It is about opportunity costs: A movie is a two hour investment. A song is only three minutes. People are willing to spend a little extra time during the front end of the process.
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