I Can't Quit Physical Media

Is this a plea for help or a rallying cry?

I've always loved physical media. As I type that sentence, I'm in an office filled with various Blu-rays and hard copies of video games. Yes, they take up room. And when you move, yes they're cumbersome as hell. But, honestly, I don't think I could have it any other way.

And believe me, I've tried.

I've gone through phases where I purge my DVDs or Blu-rays because "they're all on streaming" or "I own them all digitally." A few years back, though, I realized how pointless that was. I wanted to watch the Clerks cartoon, a short-lived ABC animated series. I once had it on DVD, but after a massive purge was left without. And that's one of those things that simply wasn't streaming. So I went without.

These are all within arm’s reach of me currently.

The thing about that, though, is anything can become that. In an age where studios can write movies off as tax breaks, essentially erasing them from digital existence, physical media is the only recourse we have, legally anyway. There are websites and repositories dedicated to finding lost media, which is truly delightful. But for me, having these things as my own repository feels right. And I don't necessarily have to find out what streaming service The Truman Show (the 4K rerelease is super good!) is on because I just have it on the shelf. 

Or there's Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem, a movie I assume I'd have to watch on Paramount+. Here's the thing, though: Nobody has Paramount+. I had it for years, strictly because I was a former CBS employee whose account they forgot to deactivate. Then they remembered.

All this to say, a digital world is cool, but it also leaves us relying on corporations to be the keepers of art forever. Imagine if the 3D rerererelease of Star Wars was the only version that existed now? Or whatever cut Disney+ is streaming? Thankfully, that's just not the case. We have documentation of the history of the art form and that's pretty cool.

And I'm not saying we should all bow at the altar of discs full of movies and music. It's up to the individual person. I'm not even saying I would seriously cut back the amount of physical media I keep on hand. After all, so many of the things I get are review copies I receive through work. I don’t necessarily need A Haunting in Venice because, honestly, when am I going to watch that again?Still, now I know there are some things I will never get rid of.

After all, if I don't have a physical copy of Airborne, the coming of age teen dramedy about a California surfer boy who wins over a Midwestern town through the power of rollerblading, will it even exist?

And that's the stuff that matters to me. I don't want to lose these things that mattered to me at one point. There are already things out there I love where there is no physical version officially available. Hey, whoever owns it, give me a Blu-ray of Murder in Small Town X, already!

If there are things that matter to you, don't just expect it to always be available. With the media landscape in constant flux, that's just not guaranteed. It may be likely or even a sure bet, but there's always a chance they go away. 

And that's why I have five copies of Jaws--all with varying special features.