Everywhere I turn as of late, I see reports and videos that claim "the death of physical media". Honestly, people have been saying that for the last decade. Is it harder and harder to find DVDs and Blu-rays? Depends on who you ask. Every die hard collector will tell you, if you really want something, there are plenty of places to find it. Do I think the prices will be outlandish? Very much so, at least for the next two to five years. Then, I personally believe prices will level out again.
In my personal opinion, what do I think of this panic over the claims physical media is on death's door? Well, I think it comes down to a mix of factors. For one, the cinemas have taken a hard hit the last few years, and this will in part help to get them back on track, as many cinemas are starting to cater to showings of older films and fan favourites. 2023 saw the return of the cinema goer in the billions. The cinema experience I'm certain, will start to create a sense of wanting to cultivate a collection again in many who maybe haven't had that before. Another contributing factor, is that so many of the big studios/production companies are starting to merge and buy each other out. This factor alone, will cause issues with distribution rights. What better way to solve that issue till mergers and buy outs are signed sealed and delivered than to pull products for awhile before rereleasing under new management. With streaming becoming the nightmare it has, so many people are walking away from their services opting to own physical copies which can only mean, Blu-rays and DVDs will stay in demand. In fact, I honestly believe we will see the return of the rental stores. Movie fans have already expressed their increased nostalgia for the experience of walking through rental stores; seeing the box covers lining store shelves and the community of what it meant to love a movie, actor or genre. Not too mention, the amount of online groups that are constantly popping up for selling/buying and trading older gems. As the economy is quickly sinking into a depression, many are turning away from subscription streaming simply because of inflation. Choosing to return to their own collections for the time being. The final factor is that titles, are beginning to appear in public domain. I think as copyrights start to run out, we'll see a short time where titles disappear until copyrights can once again be established.
Do I personally feel this is the death of physical media? No. Given the panic it's already caused, I personally do not believe it's the final nail in the coffin. I do however, believe it's just going underground for a bit.
Comentarios