Video rental shop
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A video rental shop/store is a physical retail business that rents home videos such as movies, prerecorded TV shows, video game discs and other media content. Typically, a rental shop conducts business with customers under conditions and terms agreed upon in a rental agreement or contract, which may be implied, explicit, or written. Many video rental stores also sell previously viewed movies and/or new, unopened movies.
In the 1980s, video rental stores rented VHS and Betamax tapes of movies, although most stores dropped Betamax tapes when VHS won the format war late in the decade. In the 2000s, video rental stores began renting DVDs, a digital format with higher resolution than VHS. In the late 2000s, stores began selling and renting Blu-ray discs, a format that supports high definition resolution.
Increasing accessibilities of electronic medias in
that are less available on streaming platforms.History
1970s
The world's oldest business renting out copies of movies for private use was a film reel rental shop opened by Eckhard Baum in Kassel, Germany in the summer of 1975. Baum collected movies on Super 8 film as a hobby and lent pieces of his collection to friends and acquaintances. Because they showed great interest in his films, he came up with the idea of renting out films as a sideline.[1] Over the years, videotapes and optical discs were added to the range. Baum still operates the business as of April 2023[2] and was portrayed in the June 2006 documentary film Eckis Welt by Olaf Saumer.[3]
The first professionally managed video rental store in the U.S., Video Station, was opened by
Sony released its first commercially available video recorders in the United States on June 7, 1975,[7] and the following year, on October 25, 1976, Universal and Disney filed a lawsuit against Sony in the case known as Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. The two studios tried to ban the sales of VCRs, and later the rental of movies, which would have destroyed the video rental business in the US. Justice Harry Blackmun sided with the studios, while Justice John Paul Stevens ruled in Sony's favor. Eventually, on January 17, 1984, the Supreme Court overruled the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals after Justice Sandra Day O'Connor changed her mind, leading to a 5-to-4 ruling.[8][9][10][11]
1980s
By mid-1985, the United States had 15,000 video rental stores, and many
In the 1980s, it was common for shops to rent equipment—typically VHS recorders—as well as tapes. Some video shops also had adults-only sections containing
1990s-2000s
In the late 1990s, DVDs began appearing in video rental stores. The format was smaller than tapes, allowing stores to stock more movies. As well, the thin, lightweight discs could be mailed, which made mail DVD services feasible. In the late 1990s, Netflix offered a per-rental model for each DVD but introduced a monthly subscription for DVDs concept in September 1999.[19] The per-rental model was dropped by early 2000, allowing the company to focus on the business model of flat-fee unlimited rentals without due dates, late fees (a source of annoyance for bricks and mortar video store customers), shipping and handling fees, or per-title rental fees.[20]
Rogers Video was the first chain to provide
Some firms rented DVDs from automatic kiosk machines such as
Automatic DVD kiosks still required consumers to leave home twice, to rent the movie and return it. Widespread availability of video on demand (VOD) on cable TV systems and VHS-by-mail and DVD-by-mail services offered consumers a way of watching movies without having to leave home. Consumers preferred the convenience of choosing movies at home.
With the advent of the World Wide Web, Internet services which streamed content as Netflix became increasingly popular starting in the mid–2000s. All the new ways of watching movies greatly reduced demand for video rental shops, and many closed as a result.[25][26][27] In 2000, there were 27,882 stores renting videos open in the US,[28] by late 2015, the number was down to 4,445.[29] Over 86% of the 15,300 U.S. stores (specializing in video rentals) open in 2007 were reported to have closed by 2017, bringing the total to approximately 2,140 remaining stores.[25] The total income from brick and mortar rentals for 2017 was about $390 million.[30]
In mid-June 2020,
On January 5, 2021, Glenview, Illinois-based Family Video announced it was closing all its remaining video rental stores.[35] The company was the last remaining video rental chain in the United States; its closing marked the end of large video rental chains.[citation needed]
In the 2020s, some video stores facing the loss of their business model have adapted by becoming non-profit organizations that focus on preserving an archive of film heritage and educating people about cinema.[36] Operating as a non-profit enables a video store to use volunteer personnel and apply for foundation grants, which can make it feasible to operate with less rental revenue.[36]
Meanwhile, as the end of 2022, there are still more than 2,000 video rental stores in Japan, including Tsutaya and Geo. However, as is typical, the number is decreasing year by year.[37][38] In addition, Redbox has nearly 40,000 vending machine-type stores in the U.S. as of 2021.[39]
In 2022, CBC News reported that Ottawa still has two DVD rental stores: Movies n' Stuff (12,000 titles for rent and 40,000 more in storage) and Glebe Video International (18,000 titles for rent). Movies n' Stuff's owner, Peter Thompson, attributes the continued interest in video rental stores to the rising cost of streaming subscription services and patrons' desire for the personalized film recommendations he provides. [40]
Legacy and sociocultural impact
According to Daniel Herbert, a film professor at University of Michigan who has written about the history of video rental stores, "[t]rips to the video store helped cement a local “
Film critic Collin Souter states that video stores gave "film lovers [a place] to congregate" and make "discoveries by browsing" the racks of film shelves, with the store providing a "
A 2018 article about video stores states that they are appealing because "people crave being together to pick entertainment" and the chance to "chat with a staff member" "who can be relied upon for reviews and recommendations and who truly love what they do", while at the same time being "part of a "community of like-minded individuals."[43] One argument for video stores is the element of investment; if "you're taking time to walk into a physical place, grab something and take it home, you'll be at least a little bit invested."[44]
As well, there is the "allure of browsing" the physical copies on the shelves (an appeal likened to the resurgence of interest in
Video rental stores such as Toronto's Bay St Video have a selection that is larger than a streaming platform's movie list. The owner of Bay St Video states that they "have movies that go back to the beginning of filmmaking, from the first
In 2010, Daniel Hanna, the owner of Toronto's Eyesore Cinema (an independent video shop) launched International Independent Video Store Day, which is held on the third Saturday of every October, to promote awareness of video rental stores and their unique contribution to film culture. [43]
Film professor Daniel Herbert says that the demise of the video store may affect independent film production; he states that when the "large [video store] chains collapsed, studios lost a major channel for [low-budget, feature-length] indie movies", a format that streaming services are less likely to produce, as they prefer to make
Friday Night at the Video Store is a
In popular culture
The impact of video rental stores on popular culture is attested to by filmmakers' use of video stores as a setting for a number of films from the 1980s to the 2000s. Examples include
The decline of chain video stores was later addressed by the documentary film The Last Blockbuster (2020)[48] and the TV sitcom Blockbuster (2022), a fictionalized version of the same premise.[49]
Rental and copyright
Renting books, CDs, tapes, and movies is covered by
"[N]either the rental nor purchase of a movie carries the right to exhibit it outside of one's home".[53] "A license is required for all public performances regardless of whether admission is charged"; as such, a person showing a rental video outside their home must pay for an exhibition license.[54]
Courts have ruled on the issue of how to define "private"; it generally includes a home or hotel room, and attendees could be family and those in one's normal social circle. However, if a person invite a broader range of people, such as people from within their neighborhood, then the exhibition of the movie becomes a public exhibition. [55] An organization that shows a copyrighted movie on the organization's property is not considered to be a private place, even though it is a company-owned facility.[56]
Some types of video exhibition in public may fall under the fair use or fair dealing exception, which "allows the use of copyrighted material in a reasonable manner without the consent of the owner" is if is being viewed for "commentary, criticism, education or research."[57] In Canada, public school teachers got some exemptions allowing some exhibition of films in 2012, when the Canadian Parliament passed the Copyright Modernization Act. Teachers can show "copyrighted commercially available movies for educational purposes", so long as it is part of a "classroom curriculum related context."[58]
Gallery
-
Vice & Video rentals and bar in Ohio
-
A DVD rental machine in Japan
Top film rentals in the United States
Up until 1998
Rank[59] | Title | Revenue | Inflation |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Star Wars Special Edition
|
$270,900,000 | $514,200,000 |
2 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | $228,160,000 | $433,050,000 |
1987–1997
Rank[60] | Title |
---|---|
1 | Top Gun |
2 | Pretty Woman |
3 | Home Alone |
4 | The Little Mermaid |
5 | Ghost |
6 | Beauty and the Beast |
7 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day |
8 | Forrest Gump |
9 | The Lion King |
10 | Dances with Wolves |
1993–1996
1997
Rank | Title | Rentals | Revenue | Inflation |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jerry Maguire | 22,500,000 | $60,190,000 | $114,240,000 |
2 | Liar Liar | 20,910,000 | $57,410,000 | $108,960,000 |
3 | A Time to Kill | 18,770,000 | $50,710,000 | $96,250,000 |
4 | The First Wives Club | 17,820,000 | $47,840,000 | $90,800,000 |
5 | Ransom | 17,390,000 | $46,780,000 | $88,790,000 |
6 | Phenomenon | 17,260,000 | $46,240,000 | $87,760,000 |
7 | Scream | 16,500,000 | $44,910,000 | $85,240,000 |
8 | Michael | 15,820,000 | $42,510,000 | $80,680,000 |
9 | The Long Kiss Goodnight | 15,530,000 | $41,350,000 | $78,480,000 |
10 | Sleepers | 15,160,000 | $41,020,000 | $77,860,000 |
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Schmid, Von Dorina (14 February 2014). "Meine Videothek ist ein Kulturerbe – Gespräch mit dem Erfinder der ersten Videothek der Welt: Eckhard Baum (WS 2013/14)". Literaturhaus Nordhessen. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Steinbach, Jörg (19 September 2015). "Film-Shop feiert heute Geburtstag". Kassel Live. Archived from the original on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Filmklasse Kassel: entry on Eckis Welt, Kunsthochschule Kassel
- ^ Khanna, Derek (27 December 2013). "A Look Back At How The Content Industry Almost Killed Blockbuster And Netflix (And The VCR)". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013.
- ^ Jennifer Lane Burnell. "Industry History: entertainment merchants association". Entertainment Merchants Association. Archived from the original on 6 August 2011.
- ^ 1975 - 1979 | entertainment merchants association
- ^ Betamax is born, June 7, 1975
- ^ Thirty years ago today, Sandra Day O'Connor saved the future of video
- ^ A Look Back At How The Content Industry Almost Killed Blockbuster And Netflix (And The VCR)
- ^ "What the 1984 Betamax ruling did for us all". Los Angeles Times. 2014-01-17. Archived from the original on 2023-02-26.
- ^ "Copyright Ruling Rings With Echo of Betamax (Published 2013)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-02-26.
- ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Why You Can't Rent Games in Japan".
- The Free Lance-Star. Associated Press. pp. 12–TV. Archived from the originalon 4 April 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the originalon 14 April 2020. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ Sonasky, Steven (1986-06-10). "VCRs give cable TV firms a common enemy". Boca Raton News. Knight-Ridder Newspapers. pp. 4D. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ Hussie, Andrew; Kenna, Eileen (1989-12-14). "Saturday Night Movies At Home". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2015-02-14. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ Herbert, Andrew. "Videoland: Movie Culture at the American Video Store". University of California Press, 2014, p. 17-18.
- ^ O'Brien, Jeffrey M. (December 1, 2002). "The Netflix Effect". Wired. Archived from the original on September 5, 2013.
- ^ Huddleston Jr., Tom (September 22, 2020). "Netflix didn't kill Blockbuster — how Netflix almost lost the movie rental wars". CNBC.
- ISBN 978-0813142180– via Google Books.
- ^ "Redbox surpasses Blockbuster in number of U.S. locations". Kioskmarketplace.com. November 26, 2007. Archived from the original on August 31, 2010.
- ^ "Redbox surpasses 100 million DVD rentals Redbox surpasses Blockbuster in number of U.S. locations". Kioskmarketplace.com, February 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-08-31.
- ^ "Redbox Hits One Billionth Rental". Gigaom.com. September 6, 2010. Archived from the original on October 26, 2011.
- ^ a b Stebbins, Samuel; Comen, Evan (28 December 2017). "America's 24 dying industries include sound studios, textiles, newspapers". USA Today. Archived from the original on 30 April 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- Gaston Gazette. Archived from the originalon 9 November 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- Houston Business Journal. Archived from the originalon 9 November 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Billboard 8. July 2000
- ^ Brigg, James. "Video stores still 'alive and well' in Indy". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on 31 December 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Bennett, Hugh (9 January 2018). "DEG Releases Year-End 2017 Home Entertainment Report". Hugh's News. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- The Malay Mail. Archived from the originalon 16 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Daim, Nuradzimmah (14 June 2020). "Speedy Video bids adieu, all stores to close". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Oz's Video Ezy hits new Asian markets". Variety. 29 August 2000. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ "INTERNATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ALLIANCE 2008 SPECIAL 301 REPORT - MALAYSIA" (PDF). Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ "All Family Video Stores Closing | Family Video".
- ^ a b c d Wren, Clay (14 May 2021). "Video stores aren't dead because of Film is Truth". www.westernfrontonline.com. The Front. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ "各種調査報告:JVA個人向けレンタルシステム加盟店数推移" [Various survey reports:Changes in the number of JVA individual rental system member stores] (in Japanese). JVA: Japan Video Software Association. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
- ^ 東田陽介 (6 December 2021). "動画配信に押されるレンタルビデオ店、ジムや古着店に生まれ変わる…コロナで拍車" [Video rental stores pushed by video streaming, reborn as gyms and thrift stores...spurred by Corona.]. The Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 31 January 2023.
- ^ "REDBOX ANNOUNCES ITS TOP MOVIES OF 2021 ACROSS STREAMING AND KIOSK". Retrieved 2022-12-11.
- ^ Williams, Nicole (31 December 2022). "The movie rental store lives — and it's not going anywhere". www.cbc.ca. CBC News. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ Duggan, Joe (17 December 2021). "Last call for what's likely Nebraska's last video store". https://flatwaterfreepress.org. Flatwater Free Press. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|website=
- ^ a b Souter, Collin (12 February 2021). "Farewell to the Video Store". www.rogerebert.com. Roger Ebert. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ a b c McGillivray, Kate (20 October 2018). "The Secret Resilience of Toronto's Video Stores". www.cbc.ca/news. CBC. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ a b Trapunski, Richard (3 July 2021). "Inside one of Toronto's last video stores". https://nowtoronto.com. Now. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|website=
- ^ Unglesbee, Ben (17 December 2020). "An existential moment for the last video store chain". www.retaildive.com/news. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ a b Brody, Richard (2 October 2015). "The Video Store as Film School". www.newyorker.com. New Yorker. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ "Friday Night at the Video Store". www.nfb.ca. National Film Board. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ Levine, Daniel S. (March 14, 2021). "'The Last Blockbuster': Netflix Users Hilariously Point out Cruel Irony of Documentary". popculture.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 18, 2021). "Netflix Gets Last Laugh With Blockbuster Video Store Comedy Series Starring Randall Park". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- ^ "About Copyright Law". Motion Picture Licensing Corporation. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- ^ "FAQs about Copyrights". www.acf-film.com. Audio Ciné Films Inc. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ Evenden, Ian (21 July 2021). "When Is DVD Ripping Illegal?". www.toptenreviews.com. Top Ten Reviews. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "Copyright Compliance and Public Performances". www.swank.com/. Swank. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ "Copyright Compliance and Public Performances". www.swank.com/. Swank. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ "Public or Private Audience". legalbeagle.com. Legal Beagle. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ "Copyright Compliance and Public Performances". www.swank.com/. Swank. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ "Fair Use Exception". legalbeagle.com. Legal Beagle. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ "FAQs about Copyrights". www.acf-film.com. Audio Ciné Films Inc. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-85112-070-6.
- ISBN 978-0-88687-832-0.
Source: Alexander & Associates/Video Flash, New York, NY (...) Rented Mar. 1, 1987-Dec. 30, 1997
- World Almanac Books. p. 302.
- World Almanac Books. p. 250.
- ISBN 9780886878016.
- ISBN 0886878217.
- ISBN 9780345411020.
Source: Paul Kagan Associates, Inc.
- Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA). Archived from the originalon June 13, 1998. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
Further reading
- Greenberg, Joshua M. From Betamax to Blockbuster: Video Stores and the Invention of Movies on Video. MIT Press, 2010.
- Herbert, Daniel. Videoland: Movie Culture at the American Video Store. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2014.
- Roston, Tom. I Lost It at the Video Store: A Filmmakers' Oral History of a Vanished Era. Critical Press, 2015.