Put this way, it sounds so simple. And actually, it should be this simple.
Unfortunately, this discounts the fact that Hollywood is run by people with their heads up their asses. Like this guy. It’s a fucked up nightmare of politics and greed. It’s amazing that anything good comes out of the system at all — it’s a testament to the true creative talent behind the films themselves.
You can bet that Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and all the rest have tried to talk Hollywood into the system above. They’ve probably been doing it for a decade, if not longer. Instead, we get bullshit like UltraViolet — a giant middle finger to consumers.
Why Not Try An Infinity-Day Window?
Matt Drance on Warner Bros. idiotic new 56-day DVD rental window:
Also under this new deal, pirated movies remain free of charge, free of non-skippable ads, free of five-minute load times, and are now nearly three months ahead of the competition.
And:
iTunes changed the music industry because it was more convenient than stealing. Most people made the value judgment that ten bucks for a clean, legal digital album was worth the alternative of fishing around for files that may or may not be damaged or infected.
It’s really — honestly — surprising that Hollywood doesn’t understand such a simple concept. Even stranger is that they can look to the music industry as an example and learn from the mistakes there, but they refuse.
Hollywood isn’t going to die anytime soon — but it won’t be from lack of trying. The pain is coming. In a big way.
Kill Hollywood, Not Movies
The fallout from the failure of SOPA and PIPA is just as interesting as the main topics themselves. First, many on the web with loud voices are finally waking up to how corrupt the lobbying/political system is in this country. Second, directly-related, there’s a quickly growing anti-Hollywood sentiment.
The most forceful stance has to be Y Combinator putting out a new RFS (Request for Startups) will one goal: Kill Hollywood.
It’s an important statement and message given the bullshit the MPAA is up to. But it’s also important to separate film, the artform, from Hollywood, the industry.
Warner Bros. New Social Photos Network: Out My Window
Shouldn’t it be called, “Out My 56-Day Window”?
In response to my previous post, Charlie Knoles has found a potential hole in Hollywood’s brilliant grand plan:
@parislemon meanwhile there’s a 28 minute window to download via BitTorrent. Idiots.
— Charlie Knoles (@rollinia) January 6, 2012
Innovation, Hollywood-Style
Get ready for this one — it’s huge. In fact, you better sit down.
You know the 28-day window* that studios now impose between when a DVD goes on sale and when it can be made available to rent?
It’s about to made 56 days, reports Peter Kafka.
Boom.
Hollywood is saved. DVD sales are going to flow like wine again. Everyone will be drunk. Glory days.
*sometimes known as “the bullshit 28-day window”
iTunes Movies In The Cloud
Apple wants users to be able to stream films they buy through the cloud to any iOS device. No surprise there, this is exactly what they just unveiled for music and television shows. But it sounds like Hollywood wants something in return: Apple to play nicely with UltraViolet — their shitty name for a new form of DRM.
Put simply: UltraViolet will not work without Apple on board. As the LA Times notes, iTunes accounts for 66% of online movie sales and rentals. But the key isn’t iTunes, it’s the iOS devices. If Hollywood can’t get UltraViolet to work on them, the effort is dead in the water.
In my view, Apple has all the leverage here. But having worked in Hollywood for a few years, I’m also positive that they’re too stupid to realize that. The likelihood they fuck this up is high.
For $60, Eddie Murphy Better Be At My House Reenacting The Movie In My Living Room
Peter Kafka wonders if the new Eddie Murphy movie is worth $60 to rent at home when it’s still in theaters.
Short/kind answer: No.
Longer/harsh answer: Hollywood is clearly filled with a bunch of arrogant, greedy assholes who clearly believe that piracy is the future of home movie viewing.
US DVD Sales Plummet 20%
Remember what I wrote last month about “The Hollow DVD Boost”? A refresher:
I’ve noted in all my posts that this greedy “30 day window” ploy was likely to cause a temporary bump in DVD sales. But the keyword is “temporary”. Just watch. They will start falling again.
Sure enough.
The silly 30-day window isn’t saving jack shit. It will lead to little boosts here and there for certain big films, but the overall sales will continue to tank.
The best part of this article though is that the movie studios are trying to blame poor Easter timing for the bad numbers.
Yep. That’s it.
Maybe next year they should also try delaying Easter by 30 days.
Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen.
