We Fixed It. You're Welcome.

Aaron Wolpoff [0:14 - 1:26]: All right, here's how this works. In each episode, we pick a company we all know that has something going on right now. Then we put ourselves in charge and see if we can fix it. You'll be hearing from Melissa in operations, Chino on people and culture and and me on marketing. My name's Aaron. As always, a quick disclaimer. We are going into this somewhat cold, and nothing we say should be construed as legal advice, financial advice, or anything that would get us in trouble. These are our views and opinions. We're here to ask the kinds of questions everyone's thinking, have an engaging conversation, and maybe come to some conclusions that we feel are worth exploring by the end. If We Fixed it, you're welcome. All trademarks, IP and brand elements discussed are property of their respective owners. Welcome back to We Fixed It. You're welcome. Sometimes we have a full house on the pod today. It's a two hander. You've got Chino and myself. But fear not, we are fearless as ever and ready to be your fearless fixers. Today we're taking you back to the golden age of physical media. That is media you can unwrap open. Read the booklet inside. You can lose it, scratch it, leave it behind at a friend's house. May have waned in popularity, but it's still around today. I think we're here to talk about a specific problem that's been happening lately. Chino, what are we fixing today?

Chino Nnadi [1:27 - 2:34]: Yeah, so folks, gather round because we're talking about something that's kind of near and dear to all of our hearts at one point, which is physical media, as Erin has shared so more specifically, the tragic fate of your old DVDs. That's right. Warner Bros. Has confirmed that DVDs manufactured between 2006 and 2008 are literally disintegrating. So if you're planning on watching Blade runner or the 2001 Space Odyssey on disc, you'll be a little bit out of luck. But what this does is raise a bigger question. Does this mean that physical media matter? Like, does it matter anymore in an age where Netflix and Disney plus and every other streaming service dictate kind of what's available at the click of the button? Are we losing something by letting go of DVDs and CDs and, you know, Blu Rays? Dare to say it, even VHS's. So we're gonna address this problem today. So grab your popcorn, unless you're trying to watch one of these DVDs and let's get into it.

Aaron Wolpoff [2:34 - 3:10]: Yeah, I like what you're you know, what you're saying about it's the broader picture. It's not just the fact that there's this Warner Brothers specific issue, but digital media or physical media as a whole in this age of digital, it's still around. Like we keep it around, right? We keep it in crates and boxes and anyone who is of a certain age has physical media and you just don't, you know, you might garage sale it, maybe you see it, but you see bins of it elsewhere. But you might just want to keep it for some reason there's some, something that compelling that makes you hold on to it. Right.

Chino Nnadi [3:10 - 4:21]: I agree. So you know, we were clearing out my mom's house a few weeks ago and it's funny because I have a box of all of my old vhs, like all the Disney movies that are there, all the like DVDs that I bought along the way. And I remember earlier this year we were visiting California as every, as our viewers and listeners have come to know. And while we were there we stumbled across this estate sale and I've never been to an estate sale in my life and there was a whole room full of just old DVDs and VHS is. And I, you know, I didn't have the luggage, it was a few day trip. But I really wanted to just buy everything out because I just, I miss the physical act of you know, putting your DVD or your VHS or popping your CD into the radio or however you used to listen to it back in the day. And having physical, you know, media that you can consume versus kind of in the more digital world where you just, you know, press a button and hopefully it's there this month if you want to watch something specific. Otherwise you're out of luck. You got to wait till it comes onto the streaming service.

Aaron Wolpoff [4:21 - 4:36]: Yeah. And when you see a collection like that, especially a curated collection, you know, it mattered to somebody, right. It was maybe a reflection of their identity as opposed to hitting, lazily hitting a like button or a thumbs up button after you finish watching something on a streamer.

Chino Nnadi [4:37 - 5:31]: It is, and it's really interesting too and you know, in the age of kind of this new digital media where yeah, it's a click of a button I find and I've had conversations with friends as well where you know, that tangible physical media is something that people are starting to crave again. Just because there's been so many times when I've wanted to watch a movie or I'm listening to a song that I really like and for whatever reason that Song has been taken away from the platform. So now you have to use like, SoundCloud or something else to find this specific mix that used to be there. And I just feel like there's no. There's no longer that kind of permanence and that feeling of actually owning something. It's like you're, again, you're subscribing to something and you're at the whim of whatever these kind of streaming services dictate.

Aaron Wolpoff [5:31 - 6:05]: Yeah. I don't know if you've ever been on vacation and you go, you know, do an Airbnb and you go to a cabin or something, and they've got like six VHS tapes and 10 CDs. And then you start getting very intentional, right. You slow down and you say, okay, we're gonna watch this one tonight. And then we're gonna. We'll save that. That. We really wanna watch that one. We'll save that for later. And, you know, it's that it. Right now we have a banquet of, I don't know, endless choices, really, when you go from one streamer to the next. But. But when you. When you're restricted, you know, down to a handful of choices, you. You start to. You think differently about it, right?

Chino Nnadi [6:05 - 7:15]: Yeah. It's so funny because I remember visiting a cottage, or what are us Canadians call a cottage, which you guys call a cabin. And yeah, to your point, Erin, there were only a collection and, you know, really interesting, interestingly curated shows and DVDs and collections that this person had. And we were able to watch, like, a few fun things that totally forgot about. And I think, you know, it reminds me of the time when there was a huge blackout a few years ago and, you know, you know, for those that had power, which was great, but often, like, the WI fi wasn't working, so you weren't able to, like, log onto your Netflix or kind of going back to quote, unquote, the Stone Age, where, you know, you didn't have everything at your fingertips and you had to, like, wait to watch your favorite show. And this is similar in vain where, you know, you get to watch kind of this curated other TV or, you know, movie that you. You've hand selected. And it's like you almost cherish that moment a little bit more because, you know, you only have that. There's not a thousand other options and.

Aaron Wolpoff [7:15 - 7:42]: There'S still reasons to seek it out. Like, I have. I have an app that tells you what's streaming where across all the streaming services, and I'd say one out of five times it says not available on any of your, you know, your services. And it's not available in digital media. So then you say, okay, I'll wait. You wait for the library to be sold or resold and become more back available, or you seek out the physical media version of it. You say, okay, I'm going to go track down the dvd, Right?

Chino Nnadi [7:43 - 8:38]: Yeah. And, you know, there's been so many times, too, where I'm like, going to watch something. My weird movie that I love is like Deep Blue Sea. It's a silly one and it's so funny. I've watched it so many times and it's gone up and down on different streaming services right now. It's not on anywhere. And I get the prompt from like Apple where it's like, do you want to rent this for 4.99 or do you want to purchase this? And I always debate because I'm like, it's one of those that I just love to go back to, but I don't think I could ever purchase it. Is it like in a cloud somewhere? What if you take it down and I purchase it? It doesn't have that same weight as actually owning a physical piece of media. So I wonder, kind of, what do you feel about that, too? And do you think, Erin, from like, a marketing perspective, there's a way for some studios to kind of capitalize on this nostalgia of, like, owning something?

Aaron Wolpoff [8:38 - 9:48]: I think that the physical aspect of saving, putting a shelf in your living room that you walk past all the time, it makes the brand more alive or you connect with it more in your life. I was talking with someone yesterday that said, I love my streaming services, but once I click them off, I don't think about it again until I'm in front of it again. But if you've got your curated, beloved DVD collection and it's got your Disney films or your Criterion Collection or whatever you gravitate toward and you see it every day and it becomes an extension of, you know, who you are, who you, what you show to guests. And it's just part of the, part of the furniture. It, it resonates more, right? It's, it's more, more of an active presence in your life. So absent of that, I think student studios, you know, have some makeup to do to fill that void that people want to, you know, own something. Right? So is it merchandise? Is it the collectibles you buy at amc? You know, those, the, the pricey popcorn buckets and all those things? Like, people will, people will pay a premium to own something Yeah, I remember.

Chino Nnadi [9:48 - 10:55]: When Dune came out. And again, it's like, you know, the art of the experience, right. When you go to a. When you actually go to a movie theater. And I remember when Dune came out and, you know, they had their, like, you know, collectible popcorn bags that people were, you know, collecting them. And what was interesting is, you know, when you go out on ebay, people were reselling them for quite a pretty penny. And again, it's that art of like, owning something and being a part of this zeitgeist or movement or time in history where, you know, we all got to see Dune together or, you know, going back from like the Dark Knight age or with what was the one Black Panther that was a whole. You know, people were going to the movie theaters with more of an experience just versus kind of consuming something. They were there to also kind of add their personality into kind of that lived experience. And I think there's a want now for that kind of tangible ownership in some way, just because, yeah, the digital media is quite fleeting, to be. To be frank.

Aaron Wolpoff [10:55 - 12:01]: Yeah, you've got the popcorn buckets like we were talking about. I used to work upstairs from Funko and the Funk, you know, the Funko Pops. If you want to own something and you don't own the movie, you can buy, you know, the little representation of the characters. And there's. There's no shortage of merchandise, especially for big tentpole, you know, productions. I think Wicked maybe set a record for co merchandising deals. But. But again, you. You don't own the movie, right? You don't walk around with it, especially with retailers like Best Buy. I think discontinuing DVDs altogether, it's harder and harder. Not saying it doesn't exist, but I think it's down 90% from its heyday of DVD revenue. It's just harder and harder to own that physical piece where, like you said, you can plan on watching it, but then it's gone from one streamer from one day to the next and these collections get sold and resold over and over again. It's harder to find. Even if you've tracked it down or rented it or you feel like you own it digitally for a certain period of time. It's harder to get that feeling of ownership around that core piece of it.

Chino Nnadi [12:01 - 13:55]: Yeah. And I feel like, I wonder if there's a way for studios, especially the smaller ones. Right. I have a friend who is a huge film buff. Like, when you walk into their house, it is lined with all the characters and all the DVDs. And really this friend Phil. Shout out to Phil has kind of re engaged my like, love for theater and movies again, because there's so many things that he has that are frankly not on any streaming services. There are some really cool curated like Japanese movies that you can only get from one specific space. And you know, it's really just, I think, you know, his love for movies and having so many physical copies of different things has allowed me to experience more in terms of theater. And I think there's something missing when we're only just watching Netflix or Disney because it's very curated to these big brands. And so I wonder for those who like theater, want to get into theater or you know, students of the, of the game in a way where they want to learn. If you're like an upcoming director, sometimes everything on Netflix is not like the entire catalog of every movie ever created. And you're also, I feel like you're missing out on some really great entertainment because you're kind of pigeon holding yourself only to digital versus physical where you can have access to so much more. And I wonder if there's an incentive for studios, for those collectors or those that really want to be students of entertainment to kind of bring back physical media.

Aaron Wolpoff [13:55 - 15:11]: Yeah, it's a good question because there are, there's like Alamo Drafthouse and you know, theaters and chains, mini chains that have caught on to the fact that people want that different type of theatrical experience or they want to seek out beyond the mainstream. And you know, they've, they've had their fortunes rise and fall with the, with the theatrical industry as a whole. And people kind of bemoan the loss of watching movies in theaters to the degree that we used to pre pandemic. Now, you know, with Barbenheimer, it comes back in bursts. But every so often you see like a think piece about the movies. Movie industry is dead. But no, it's not, you know, the in person theatrical experience. But we kind of forget too that these, you know, when you went to, when you went to rent or rebuy physical media, these were communal spaces. Right. It brought us together. So. And I think you touched on that too about Netflix at home and maybe some of the isolation that comes with that. But if you went to, you know, a retailer or something like a Blockbuster or a local video store, your friends were there and you saw people you knew and you, you talked about movies with people who loved movies and those types of things. And now it's just, it's more of a. At home, it can be isolating, you know.

Chino Nnadi [15:11 - 16:45]: Yeah. And I feel like you're only. You could only watch the movies that those streaming services provide where we would go into those spaces, you'd get a recommendation of, oh, you really like this movie? Well, have you seen, you know, these three others that are from an indie studio that you might have never heard of or, you know, again, the French and like, European movies are always doing something so wild and taking like, you know, I love gore and horror and, you know, I was, you know, 7, 8 watching saw in the basement by myself. I don't know what that says about me, but, you know, there's something to, like an Americanized or like North American theatrical experience versus when you, you know, go, you know, go across the pond and go into Europe. Their movie style is so much different, which, again, I would have never known if I didn't have a friend like Phil who would bring these movies and show me, you know, how other people's takes on things were. And, you know, we again, have a very narrow viewpoint of what entertainment can be because you're only getting what you see on the streaming services. So I do think there's an importance, even from a cinematic history perspective, for new directors. But as consumers, like, you might want to try something different and see what else is out there, you might fall in love with a whole other genre you never realized. And I think that community that physical media can bring is huge. And I think we're. We're missing that now.

Aaron Wolpoff [16:45 - 17:14]: That's true. Yeah. If you go to a local video store, you know, back in the day, and you see Donna's favorites and you say, okay, I've never heard of this one. I'll try it. Donna seems to like it. You might really enjoy it. Right. And that's very different from what an algorithm might recommend. If you watch seven action movies in a row, it's going to recommend an action movie and not necessarily something a little out of the box or avant garde that you might end up, you know, it could be your favorite movie ever. It just would be off your radar.

Chino Nnadi [17:14 - 18:34]: Yeah. And I wonder too, you know, like the cult classics or even with CDs and vinyls, because, you know, as much as, you know, you don't have the HMVs of the world, like the big box store, physical media stores anymore, but you'll go to a place like Hot Topic where they have a lot of different characters and, you know, different collectibles. And like, in the back corner, there's a subsection of DVDs that are. Might be rare or vinyls or CDs that you can't pick up. And what I think is interesting for artists or these studios is almost to capitalize on that niche market like your super fans who, you know, again, Wicked is a great example where, you know, having physical media is important. So that if you really do love, if you really love Wicked and you want to watch it, and maybe that's your feel good movie that you like to put on once a month, you don't have to worry about it being taken off of Netflix or having to, you know, rent it for 499 anymore. And I think kind of leaning into that kind of niche cult culture can be an opportunity for studios and different artists to, you know, bring it back a little bit more.

Aaron Wolpoff [18:34 - 18:55]: Well, and let's go. Let's talk about the issue that's happening, right? And the erosion of the DVDs. And because the first DVD came out in the United States, it was Twister, came out in March, March 25, 1997. Obviously there's been a lot of movies released since then, but the erosion period you're talking about is 2000. What, six and two.

Chino Nnadi [18:56 - 18:56]: Yeah.

Aaron Wolpoff [18:57 - 19:22]: So what is the responsibility of Warner Brothers or any other company studio, for that matter of preserving, you know, someone's collection from, from all that time ago and saying, because they're taking some measures to do replacements and making it right and those types of things. But what do you think their responsibility should be to preserve physical media? That is aging in a digital age, I think.

Chino Nnadi [19:22 - 21:05]: And it's, you know, we talk about the physical, the actual physical media. So the dvd. So I think for Warner Brothers or any other studio, if someone has a physical dvd, that's again, that rare niche, you know, subculture cult lover. And you need to, that's your audience. Those are the people who are going to the cinema to watch your new movie. Those are the people that are buying the collectibles. And so you better do right by them and replace that. It's interesting too, because DVDs have become a rarity where, you know, you have to think about, you know, the people that still even have a dvd. It's almost like the elusive vhs, right? I have all these vhs, VHS from when I was a kid. I don't have a VHS player or a rewinder or whatever you used to use to watch these things. And I think to preserve that history and to kind of honor those customers, frankly, of yours, you need to make sure that you're developing and building DVDs in a way that they're not going to disintegrate because, you know, I have CDs that, you know, were much older than the movie Twister or maybe I don't actually when did CDs come out? But, you know, cassette players and VHS that haven't disintegrated. And so I think there's an onus for these studios to make sure when you are creating and producing this type of physical media, it needs to be top notch. And are people willing to pay a premium for that? I would say so, because you don't get to see that often. So I think, yeah, it's on the onus of the studios to do right by other people.

Aaron Wolpoff [21:05 - 21:13]: But why DVDs specifically? Like, if I bought a Star Wars T shirt and it wore out, Disney's not going to send me a new one if I asked for it.

Chino Nnadi [21:13 - 22:39]: Sure. I think it's because, you know, you wear a T shirt, that's fine. You might get a hole, you might spill on it where a DVD is one that it helps kind of share the story. Right. I recently, like started watching Star wars for the first time last year. Like, I didn't really know about it. I thought those were robots, not people in there. And the clones. So I had no idea what was going on and sat down and watched and I was like, wow, this is incredible. Now I understand what people are speaking about. Now I get why there's the collectibles. I actually have a little collectible up there since watching and becoming a fan myself. Right. You can get a new T shirt, but that experience of watching something, right. The directors that created something so beautiful that is a classic is important. And if we don't preserve our media, we won't really know it'll be erased in history in 100 years from now. So it's really important for Warner Brothers, if they want to kind of continue their legacy, is to ensure that they uphold their DVDs. And maybe, I don't know, I don't know what the future physical media is. Maybe it's something else. Maybe it's not a dvd, maybe it's a usb. I don't know how it's going to look in the future too, but they need. You can't lose sight of that or else you lose sight of the media and you lose sight of the entertainment.

Aaron Wolpoff [22:39 - 22:48]: I agree, but what's the statute of limitations? So 20 years from now, if someone says my DVD went bad, is Warner Brothers going to pick up the check and say, here's another one?

Chino Nnadi [22:48 - 24:10]: Yeah, why not? You're A multibillion dollar customer. And I guarantee if you were to return that. And again. Sure. That if all of them disintegrate. And again, it's the fact that it's only 2006 to 2008, which is quite interesting. What happened to the ones before that? Were they better quality? Did you cheap out when you were making those DVDs? And now you have this problem and now you're going to fix it. The reality is the people who might even recognize that they're disintegrated, you know, you might not even open that DVD for a long time. So maybe you put some limitations on it. Maybe if it's more than like 30 years. But I do think again, to kind of uphold their brand and to build that experience for people who are the fans of this media. Yeah. Replace it. Like, what's the cost? I know you. You'll likely have, you know, droves and warehouses of, of DVDs that were not sold. So I'm sure there's somewhere in the back where you have one of these. Are they reproducing them? Maybe. Do you have them before? I don't know. I don't really know what the answer is. Is there? But I do think there is. Or maybe then you don't give out a physical thing because, you know, to mail that to everyone would be a lot. Maybe you say, okay, here's a key card for access to this where you can digitally own it.

Aaron Wolpoff [24:10 - 25:40]: Well, I think there is something, Yeah, I think there's something to what you're saying about, you know, your, your core, your, your super users, I guess your super loyalists is keeping them happy. I mean, we've heard stories about Disneyland accepting passes that were, didn't have an expiration date, maybe from as early as the park's opening, you know, the, the 80s and things like that. And if they turn people away, especially in the age of social media, that could be a firestorm of controversy. Right. So, and, and that's a core loyalist that has a Disney pass unredeemed from, you know, 1991 and now they're going to use it today at the park. And that's, you know, if they talk about how Disneyland honored it and let them in and they had the day at the best day of their lives, that's a great, you know, reflects great on Disney. If they said, I was turned away at the gate and there was no expiration on my pass, they could go rogue. Right. And start talking about how horrible it was. So there is something to what you're saying about. These are our core loyalists. They've held onto their DVD collection all this time. They went to play it, and there was a manufacturing defect or disintegration of quality from a specific time period. We're going to step up and we're going to honor and uphold our product. But you don't see that that often from companies that, you know, will come back and say thank you for staying, you know, for preserving something and keeping it alive, whether or not it's relevant to us anymore. It means something to you, but you don't see that many companies stepping up like that.

Chino Nnadi [25:41 - 27:54]: Yeah. And what I'll say, too, with this Disney example, I guarantee that person was at that theme park buying a lot of other things. So I think in the grand scheme of it, it's not cheap to go to Disney World anymore. The only thing that they missed out on is the cheaper food and rides and smaller lines and things like that where you almost need to buy a fast pass, but that's kind of the norm, and those aren't cheap. And so when you look at that audience, that core kind of cult classic, who. Who are the. Your number one fans? Sure, it might cost you a little bit up front to reproduce these things, but is that fan gonna then buy the T shirt the next time they see it? Are they gonna feel a new allegiance, an alliance to Warner Brothers? Absolutely. Will they come back and say, listen, you know, you made a mistake before. You didn't realize it, but you fixed it? Which is going to continue to make me be a loyal customer to you. Yes, I think it will come back tenfold to Warner Brothers and other studios. And I think, you know, sure, you. You don't have to. And you might say, okay, it's dead. Who cares? Somebody cares. And that core audience that does care is your core client. That's your core customer. So making them happy is what's keeping you afloat. In an age where you have streaming services, where you have big box movies that are going right into the streaming services, no one's going to the theaters anymore. Where, again, I live in Canada, as we all know, and our Cineplex was offering, like, free popcorn to entice people to come back, or free refills again, you know, so in an age where physical experiences, media is dying, and that is actually a really great Moneymaker because, again, DVD is what, 19, $20, $24, sometimes $30 if it's Blu Ray, that's like the cost of three months of Netflix right there. And likely that person is also still Watching Netflix and still doing other streaming services. So when you look at it from a business angle, pissing them off was just not a good idea.

Aaron Wolpoff [27:54 - 28:54]: Yeah, I agree. But I also do think there should be an expiration date. I think there's a way to capitalize on a moment from, you know, from a brand or marketing perspective and say. And turn it into a thing. Turn it into an event, kind of. We talked about the death of Duolingo and how that became, you know, an own moment from. From Duolingo as a brand. This could be a moment in time where you put out a social campaign and you have a Tasmanian Devil, you know, wrecking havoc on. On a bunch of DVDs, and then you show what they look like and say, if yours looks like this, you have until September 5th to cash them in type of thing. But I question the idea that forever and ever, any consumer that made a purchase that didn't stand the test of time because they weren't meant to last. Especially now that we've as a society decided that DVDs are pretty much in the rear view, I don't know that the company forever and ever has to step up and say, we'll honor that product. I want to know what you think about that.

Chino Nnadi [28:54 - 30:04]: No, I. I love that idea too. And I agree with you there too. I think there needs to be something. Should there be a time limit, Time limit there? I do agree. I love that campaign idea of like, let's, you know, jump in on this moment, make it a viral moment even to get people to relook at the DVD collection that might be sitting in the back of their closet that they don't know of. And yeah, if it's. Because again, it's also interesting that it's between a very short time period. It's a specific, specifically dated DVDs that are impacted. So, you know, how many movies did you create? I don't know. I don't know the number of that. But I think if you create a campaign around that great people, there's going to be, I would say probably more than 90% of the people who have those DVDs, probably forgot about them. So it's not those people, but it's the people who would kind of take you up on that offer are your loyal customers that I do think it would be beautiful to see. And I think it'll give Warner Brothers kind of that boost in terms of brand awareness for their people.

Aaron Wolpoff [30:04 - 30:32]: Because you don't necessarily have studio loyalty as a movie watcher. You have movie loyalty right so but it's a way for Warner Brothers to step forward with their library and remind you which titles belong to them. And you might say, oh I love that movie. I have that on VHS or DVD and I don't even have a DVD player anymore. And that could even bring people onto digital media to rent and purchase and consume and all those things that Warner might want. It could create some momentum there.

Chino Nnadi [30:32 - 30:56]: Exactly. So all in all, I do think this was always going to happen. I don't know. I am curious as to what the default was or the defect to have these DVDs disinterested because it's not everyone. But I think if they can find a way to fix it in a short time and kind of create a campaign or some buzz around that would be huge for them.

Aaron Wolpoff [30:56 - 30:59]: What about laserdiscs? Should they honor laserdiscs?

Chino Nnadi [30:59 - 31:01]: I don't know what a laserdisc is.

Aaron Wolpoff [31:01 - 31:32]: So that was the pre DVD format. It's about three, four times bigger than a dvd. It's like a size of a record and it's got the shiny underside. But it came before DVDs and it was around till much later than you'd expect. It was around until I think the early 90s or something like that, I'll tell you. But you know, do we go back and say, okay, we're gonna honor DVDs, we're gonna honor LaserDisc, we'll honor eight tracks, we'll honor cassette tapes. Where does it end?

Chino Nnadi [31:32 - 32:40]: You know what I would say that ends, I think that'll end there because I have no idea I've ever hear this in my entire existence, which is quite interesting. Where I would say is I think a DVD is more tangible. More people probably have that. If your laserdisc breaks down, maybe we say sorry because that is such an antique or maybe vintage is maybe a better word. Physical media where I don't even, I've literally never heard of a laserdisc until today where DVDs you can still play them on like your PS5s and like you know, people still have DVD players around. They're not as common as we've had a sweep of streaming services in the last, you know, again that's, it's been a recent like 10 year thing. So this is where I would say let's maybe cut it off, you know, from that time just because there are still more people with DVDs, myself included, I have a DVD player or I know I can access one easily where, you know, again I love, I love that this, that was There. But I have no, I never even knew what laserdisc until right now.

Aaron Wolpoff [32:40 - 32:57]: So yeah, they were certainly, they certainly didn't stand the test of time as much. But they were launched by MCA and Phillips in 1978. They were initially called Disco Vision which is very 1978. Pioneer rebranded them as Laserdiscs but they stuck around all the way until 2001.

Chino Nnadi [32:57 - 33:03]: Oh, so, so I'm just out of the know and that's, that's a me thing. I can't even blame the laserdisc for that.

Aaron Wolpoff [33:03 - 33:12]: That's, that's me and sell as well. Especially when, you know, the smaller, more compact version became available. Who wants to carry around record sized movies?

Chino Nnadi [33:12 - 33:59]: Fair. And Aaron, I wonder too because obviously we're, we're obviously focusing a lot on DVDs because of Warner Brothers. But is there a difference with music? Right? Like, you know, vinyls are still in like if I were to apply that same logic. Well, LaserDisc, no one really talks about them, so let them go. We still use DVDs and apply that to music where people still collect vinyls. Like that is a, that is a thing. I know a lot of friends, we're huge music lovers by you know, the caveat that. But they have vinyls that they've collected. They'll go around the world collecting them if they're, you know, DJs and producers. Like we still use that. So is there an argument or like how far back do we go on the music side?

Aaron Wolpoff [33:59 - 34:49]: Yeah, vinyl's still in record store day became a manufactured event, but a good one, right to pay. Be, be patron, patronize your local record store and create a boost in sales there with limited edition releases. But to your point, you, you know, I've been to shows where bands will sell merch and they'll sell CDs or even going back to cassette tapes to an audience that again wants to own something physical. They may never, never have seen a cassette player in their life. They don't, you know, may not own one, but they want something to take home. So yeah, it's, it's, it's that interesting dynamic of, of, of bringing something with you that's that you can put on a shelf, wear, be an have an extension of yourself and show others. This is what I stand for, this is what I'm into. Which you can't do if it's just part of a Spotify playlist.

Chino Nnadi [34:49 - 36:20]: Yeah, I totally agree because I remember again less so me but my parents. Right. Like your music taste or your DVD collection was a Part of your home. Like, my dad had this really cool lamp that had all like, the, like, CD thing. So it's like, it would be. And you could, like, whip them around and you can kind of display all your CDs. And when people would come over, it was a big thing. And. Yeah, cassette tapes. Where there's like a briefcase of cassette tapes that I found, like, in my basement the other day. And it's just. It's so interesting because it was a part of your identity. And I think people crave, especially when it comes to any media, whether that is kind of movie and theater or if that's TV or TV as well. But music, what you consume becomes part of your identity in some way. And I think there is a resurgence for that. Kind of want to have some sort of identity and be out of the Spotify crowd, where people might not know who you like, because it's. Again, it's. You're almost listening to Spotify in, like a. A cool, dark room, you know, like, it's you and your. Your headphones, and that's really it. Maybe you're at a party, you might put a playlist on of your own. Most people, that's intimidating. You're just kind of putting on whatever algorithm so that you don't have to be dj. So I think there's something for those who really have an affinity to whatever that media is, is to own it in some way.

Aaron Wolpoff [36:21 - 36:21]: Yeah.

Chino Nnadi [36:21 - 36:22]: What do you think?

Aaron Wolpoff [36:22 - 36:55]: Yeah, and I like, we could all create a Spotify mix in two seconds, right? But there is. And I'm not saying you can't be intentional about that, but there. When you. When you make a mixtape or a mix cd, and especially if you do it for someone else or you give it to someone there, you're. You're explaining who you are in a sequenced, you know, a sequenced version where everything's. Everything's intentional, everything means something from one to the next. And it's like, here. Here's me in 12, 12 tracks, right? That's very different from here's, you know, here's a playlist I threw together this morning.

Chino Nnadi [36:56 - 38:22]: Or, like, here's a playlist that, like, was curated for me. And I didn't take the time to think of each, you know, song. And I think that's so important. Again, it goes back to that experience, that curation, that identity to whatever you're consuming. And I just think, yeah, that's beautiful, because I can tell. A funny antidote of one time I sent a song to somebody and they didn't respond back to it. And I'm like, I was so personally hurt. Cause I'm like, I. You know, I thought of you. I sent you the song, and you didn't even listen to it. Like, you know, it meant something to me. And it was just like, oof, right? But I remember back in the day creating mixed CDs, and, like, people would pass that around or, you know, sorry, Warner Brothers. But like, I remember it was like Dark Knight was coming out, and my friend there was this guy in high school, you can get a bunch of DVDs for him from, like, for 10 bucks. So he would go and he'd hand out these discs, but he would, like, be the, like, DVD man in, like, the center of media. And, you know, I still have some of them to this day. Sorry. And having that physical media was awesome. So that when I had people over, it's like, okay, let's throw on a movie. If we're having a sleepover or something else, we can put something on. We're not beholden to a streaming service or what was on t on cable telling you what's happening. Plus, all the commercials, no one wanted that.

Aaron Wolpoff [38:23 - 38:51]: It's a much different feeling if someone hands you something, especially something they have their. Their fingerprint on and they say, here, I think you would love this. You know, I know you. I know your tastes. I take. I took the time to think about this and put this together for you here. And they hand you something. It's very different. You treat it differently. It becomes iconic. It becomes representative of how you feel about that person versus, you know, I watch this movie. You watch it. It's on Netflix.

Chino Nnadi [38:51 - 40:08]: Exactly. Or like, oh, it was. Everyone's talking about it. It's all on the Reddit. And so let's all talk about Love is Blind, which, cool. Wasn't that good of a season. But, you know, it just feels like it's what everybody is doing. And I, you know, I thank my friend Phil again, because he does that. He'll go and say, okay, you're, you know, what's your mood that you're feeling, What's. You know, and we'll curate and, like, we'll bring like, three or four DVDs when he comes over, and we'll have, like, watch parties. And again, has blown my mind away with some of the things I've watched from him. And it's just, again, it doesn't all have to be this, like, pop AI, algorithmically curated thing. I think that something, when somebody's giving it to you or saying, hey, I've watched this, or this is a part of my personal collection. Here you go. It means so much more. And I think. I don't know. I hope we never lose true physical media, because there might be a time that we all just also say, Netflix and Disney altogether is really expensive, and I'd much rather buy three or four DVDs every year and add to my collection and rewatch things and enjoy that way.

Aaron Wolpoff [40:10 - 40:16]: So did we make a case for physical media to stay around no matter how good the digital technology keeps getting?

Chino Nnadi [40:16 - 41:32]: Yes. Yes, we did. I do think we, you know, I don't think we fix the challenges that Warner Brothers is facing in terms of what they should do with this. What is it? What is it disintegrating? That's right, DVDs. I had a brain blank. But I do think we've given them some options in terms of how to, you know, maybe have a viral moment and help kind of bring brand awareness, which is interesting. Do I think that we. I don't think physical media will die just because there are always going to be lovers, there's always going to be cult classics. There's always going to be that audience who crave more, who crave something different. It's kind of like, you know, the rebellion or the punk band, like, you know, the, like, indie stream of things, quote, unquote. Right. I don't think that'll ever go away, which makes me happy. And as someone who recently was discussing with my partner, I don't know if I want to keep doing the streams like I actually do. Like, now I have all these VHS and DVDs again. Maybe we go back to this for, like, a few months and see how that turns out. Because, yeah, you get stuck just sitting at home and watching your TV at the end of the day, and it's not that exciting anymore. But what do you think, Aaron?

Aaron Wolpoff [41:32 - 42:28]: I do think so. I think, you know, that we made a case for breaking the algorithms at least every so often, and forcing yourself to sit in front of a limited selection of choices, being very intentional about what you watch and when you watch. And sometimes that takes you back to physical media. And for those who love it and won't put it in a bin, won't put it in a garage sale, we just keep. Keep holding onto it for some reason. I think we create. We talked about, or maybe created a compelling argument for keeping those loyalists happy and satisfied, at least for a limited period of time. Or maybe you create an event or a calendar day because of it and get some traction that way and draw attention to your film library. But yeah, you don't ever want to let your loyalists down, so you follow them where they want to go and where they take you. And if that's DVDs, then they're going to have a moment, at least for a little while.

Chino Nnadi [42:28 - 43:04]: Exactly. And I'll say one more thing as to why people should have DVDs. Think of Lilo and Stitch. There was one scene where I think Stitch went into the dryer, which was a problem because a lot of kids went into the dryer. It's not safe. But when you watch it now on Disney, that's gone. But if you still have the DVD that's there, the same with certain albums and things like that, where sometimes you get to catch things that sometimes just disappear. So hold onto your DVDs, hold onto your physical media, keep watching them and remind people what it used to be.

Aaron Wolpoff [43:04 - 43:08]: Like and the original Star wars to bring us full circle.

Chino Nnadi [43:08 - 43:08]: Yes.

Aaron Wolpoff [43:08 - 43:34]: Well, that does it for We Fixed it. You're welcome. I feel good about our fix. I think we found the right balance there. If you like what you hear, be sure to visit our archives and subscribe at we fixed it pod.com and if you have a fix you want to throw at us, our fax is in storage with the DVD player, but you can contact our show on the website too. That's we fixeditpod.com thank you so much, Chino, and we will see you next time. This podcast is produced by Straightforward Media Group.

Chino Nnadi [43:35 - 43:36]: All rights reserved.

Aaron Wolpoff [43:36 - 43:37]: If you'd like to learn more about.

Chino Nnadi [43:37 - 43:39]: How a podcast can help your company.

Aaron Wolpoff [43:39 - 43:51]: Establish authority and generate leads, please email us@erictraightforwardmg.com or go to straightforwardmg.com for more information.