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Solana Axton
Before talking about some weird nostalgia that I\u2019ve noticed online, I want to remind you that each month we do a mailbag edition of this newsletter where I answer reader questions. Last month\u2019s just came out a few days ago, and it was a ton of fun. I looked into musical death and pop song budgets, among many other things. We are now open for this month\u2019s mailbag.
Click this link, leave a comment, or reply if you want your question considered. If your question is selected, you get a free premium membership for a month, which includes four additional newsletters! Now, onto this week\u2019s newsletter while your questions percolate.
Going to Blockbuster usually occurred in one of two situations in my childhood home. First, we were staying in on the weekend and needed something to do in the evening. Second, either me or one of my sisters was sick and my mom needed something to occupy us while we laid on the couch all day. In either case, I loved going to rent movies. I loved walking the aisles and getting to pick out something of my own. I loved the chance of maybe getting a treat at the checkout counter. I\u2019d go so far as to say that I loved Blockbuster. Or at least I thought I did.
Things started to change as the 2000s marched on. First, our Comcast cable package began to include scores of movies to rent. That was great. You didn\u2019t have to leave the house to get a movie. There was still a large selection. And it only cost a few bucks to rent for something like 48 hours.
Eventually, my family got Netflix and that was even better. For a monthly fee, Netflix would mail you any DVD you could imagine. You\u2019d keep it for as long as you wanted, mail it back, and then they\u2019d send you the next DVD in your queue. Though it was debatable if your cable provider\u2019s on demand movie service was better than Blockbuster\u2019s, Netflix\u2019s superiority was certain. Their selection was endless. And there were no late fees. It\u2019s easy to forget that Blockbuster late fees were no joke. In 2000, those fees accounted for $800 million \u2014 or 16% \u2014 of their revenue. Furthermore, in 2001 they settled a lawsuit for $5.4 million related to their late fee practices.
By the time Blockbuster went bankrupt, I didn\u2019t really know anyone lamenting their demise. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve been surprised to see an intense wave of Blockbuster nostalgia on social media over the last year. It\u2019s not only like people have forgotten that part of Blockbuster\u2019s decline was driven by the better options that emerged but that Blockbuster was also constantly maligned as the corporate behemoth that bowdlerized mom-and-pop video shops.
The Austin Chronicle (2013): \u201CIt's a bittersweet day for film fans: Blockbuster, for decades the bane of the independent video store, is going out of business \u2026 Seen by many as the Walmart of home entertainment, it pushed independent stores across the nation out of business.\u201D
Yahoo! News (2013): \u201CI always hated Blockbuster. In fact if I\u2019m nostalgic for anything, it\u2019s for what Blockbuster destroyed: The idiosyncratic, independent video-rental shops of the 1980s and 1990s. I associate Blockbuster almost completely with the general rise of chain culture that\u2019s slain interesting little businesses across a huge variety of retail categories \u2014 but even in that context, Blockbuster was special.\u201D
Of course, there were people who loved Blockbuster. Given its scale, Blockbuster was often the only place consumers could rent movies, especially in small towns. And I don\u2019t doubt that some people who are nostalgic for Blockbuster do actually miss it. But I think the majority of this nostalgia is not for Blockbuster itself. It\u2019s for things that Blockbuster represented. And I think parsing those things out is important.
If you want to listen to some new music, where do you go? Probably the internet. If you want to watch a movie, where do you go? Probably the internet. If you want to order something for your sister\u2019s birthday, where do you go? Again, probably the internet. Forget the fact that you might be accessing the internet on your computer, your phone, or television. Forget the fact that you likely need to head to a different app or website to accomplish each of those things. The important point is that you don\u2019t need to leave your house to do many things these days.
This wasn\u2019t always the case. Not that long ago, if I wanted to hear some new music, I would probably head to a record shop. If I wanted to watch a film, I would probably head to Blockbuster or a movie theater. If I wanted to get my sister some new clothes, I would probably head to a local boutique. There is tremendous convenience in being able to do all of these things without leaving your home. And it\u2019s clear that we like the convenience. Spotify, Netflix, and Amazon are all worth billions of dollars. But with mobile computing giving us the ability to be everywhere, it often feels like we are nowhere.
There is something special about going to a physical place dedicated to a specific purpose. Sure, I can access more movies than any Blockbuster could hold sitting on my couch today, but I can\u2019t access the feeling conjured by a place dedicated to all things movies and television.
this is not working at all. i have comcast for 12 megabytes and a new wifi too. the download stops everytime. stupid. i hope i didnt get charge 4 bucks for retnals. and i read the FAQ it says no HDMI in their
Why would anyone pay such high fees for a movie? Netflix is $9/month and I get as much on my iPad as I want. Even iTunes is cheaper, movies are just $15 to buy in HD. Who would pay this much for a Droid-only copy of a film? Do you get a second download for a computer?
NFLX is $9 a month, but streaming is old movies and still a limited selection. And, how many old titles do you have to watch to justify a $9/m fee? For lighter users, and those who want new releases, an a la carte pricing plan from BBI works better.
I just downloaded a movie on my Droid X and it took LESS than five minutes. This writer is obviously a Iphone fanboy. I will continue to use the Blockbuster app if they continue to get new movies on a regular basis.
netflix has never charged a late fee. i pay $14.00 a month and they arrive in the mail two at a time. i watch them whenever i want and theres never a late fee. never has been. plus i stream movies all the time through my xbox and bluray and pc. i dont even pay for postage either way. turn around time from when i put the movie in the mail is 3 days so in doing the math on a 30 day month thats 20 movies i can receive per month plus all the unlimited streaming i want for under $15.00 per month versus 20 movies from block buster at $3.99 per movie equals $79.80. how is that a better deal?
However if you want to watch a movie on a HDTV using the phone as the source. There are two things you need to know. If the movie came from the Blockbuster app, it will not play on your HDTV. But lets say it its a video that you recorded on the camera our copied to your phone from your computer, it will work.
@ GL 2814
So you rented 4 movies and downloaded 3? Are you kidding? How is that even possible. Every movie you rent you have to download. And you can watch every rented movie. I had never a problem with that and there is no problem since the app is based on the VOD of Blockbuster.
There are more choices than ever for your entertainment dollar, but Netflix and Blockbuster remain the only two that offer both online streaming and disc-by-mail options. Recent changes to both--a controversial Netflix price hike and a change of ownership for Blockbuster--make this a perfect time to re-examine how both of these vendors stack up against one another.
In the analysis below, we explain how Netflix and Blockbuster stack up against each other on both fronts (discs and streaming), look at the other competitors (including Hulu Plus, Amazon, Vudu, and iTunes), and make an overall recommendation on the best choices for you.
The original Netflix business model--the one that put it on the path to take down one-time video-rental king Blockbuster--was delivering DVDs by mail. Netflix innovated in several ways: ordering was done online, monthly subscriptions were flat-rate (keep one to seven DVDs out at a time for a set fee), and--the big one--there were no late fees. Currently, unlimited plans start at $7.99 (one DVD at a time); if you want the option to choose HD Blu-rays, the plan costs $9.99.
Eventually, Blockbuster began offering its own flat-fee disc-by-mail program, Blockbuster Total Access. Now--following Chapter 11 bankruptcy and a sale to satellite provider Dish Network--a reinvigorated Blockbuster actually has some interesting distinctions from Netflix's postal option. As part of the $9.99 plan (one disc at a time), consumers can choose between DVDs, Blu-ray movies, or video game discs. Moreover, Blockbuster lets Total Access subscribers exchange discs in a Blockbuster store, if they'd prefer immediate satisfaction to waiting on the mailman.
Blockbuster Express is a kiosk-based disc-rental service operated by NCR, and has a totally separate membership and fee structure from Blockbuster stores and Blockbuster Total Access. DVD and Blu-ray discs are available for overnight rentals starting at $1 per night, with pricing ranging to $2.99 to $3.99 for new releases (late fees apply). Visit Blockbusterexpress.com for more info.
There are still plenty of local video rental stores--including Blockbuster Video stores. But most of these still charge by the title and charge late fees--both of which can add up over time.
In addition to the disc-by-mail programs, both Netflix and Blockbuster offer online streaming services. But they're two very different offerings: Netflix is an "all you can eat" plan that offers thousands of movies and TV shows for a flat monthly rate, whereas Blockbuster is a pay-per-view video-on-demand service (you rent or buy each title individually).
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