Hi.
It’s been a while since I wrote a blog entry. I’ve missed you guys!
Today’s blog isn’t about writing per se…I’m writing about physical media.
You know what physical media is – CDs, Vinyl, DVDs, Blu-rays, 4K Blu-rays, books. Many of you, with the advent of streaming, book subscription services, etc., have given up and given away your physical media.
I hate to tell you, but that was a mistake.
I’ve been there, of course. With Amazon Prime and Netflix, I was convinced that I would always be able to find a movie or TV show online that I wanted to watch, so I sold off my massive DVD/Blu-ray collection.
After that, I discovered that these streaming companies sometimes stop streaming some titles after a while. Their license expires, or a company, writer, or musical artist decides that they no longer want to offer their product through a streaming service…and you can’t find it anywhere else.
Netflix stopped streaming “The X-Files”, which is one of my favorite shows. I originally had the series on DVD before I sold everything. When Netflix stopped offering Mulder and Scully, I had to re-purchase the entire series! But, this time, it was on Blu-ray, and I loved rewatching the series.
Paramount Plus is streaming new Star Trek shows – “Star Trek: Discovery” and “Star Trek: Picard” right now. But, having learned my lesson about streaming services, I have purchased the first three seasons of “Discover”, and the first season of “Picard”. I have no intention of being without access to my favorite shows and movies.
As a big classic comedy fan, I have complete collections of the movies of Abbott & Costello, the Marx Brothers, the Three Stooges, and I’m working on completing my W. C. Fields collection. You just can’t find most of those on any streaming platform.
Music? If you depend on Spotify, an artist can usually pull their music from that service anytime. If you have a CD or a vinyl copy, you can enjoy that music anytime.
And ebooks? Did you realize that you don’t purchase the books when you buy? You buy only the license for that ebook. Licenses expire, and authors and publishers pull the plug on books all the time. If you have a print copy, you can re-read that story anytime.
So, the moral of this blog post is this: If you enjoy listening, re-reading, or re-watching, keep your physical copies! You can’t always count on finding it at any streaming platform or subscription service!
And remember…Keep reading!
T. M. Bilderback (but YOU can call me Michael)
