Suzume, Amazon, and the Decline of Physical Media
One of the best movies I saw in 2023 was Suzume, which I’ve reviewed here and which I included in my best movies of 2023 list. I intended to buy the Blu-ray when it's issued, not because I have to own physical media but because Blu-ray discs usually come with a code for a digital copy. I can then view the digital copy along with any ancillary features on a wider varity of devices.
Going to Amazon recently to pre-order the Blu-ray copy of Suzume I noticed it does not come with a code for a digital copy. This would reduce the value of the purchase so I did not pre-order. (I see that Crunchyroll makes Suzume available for streaming but I need ANOTHER streaming service like I need a hole in the head! Also, streaming services rotate their programming regularly so there is no guarantee that Suzume would be available indefintely, hence my preference for purchasing a Blu-ray with a digital code).
I posted a brief review on Amazon (5 stars for the movie and a link to my own glowing review) along with a question about the lack of a digital code. I got a note back today saying that my review was rejected because it contained an external link (I assume that’s the case since the guidelines are long and complex).
That’s interesting! Amazon is happy for me to freely contribute my own book and movie review content (which is invariably positive thus contributing to Amazon sales) but won’t link to my own web site.
I suspect the reason why of course — they want to keep people onsite to maximize the likelihood of sales, whereas I’m not selling products on my own site even though I regularly link to external sources.
Still, I am saddened by not being able to purchase a digital copy of Suzume. I very rarely purchase physical media any more but do occasionally make exceptions for products that are high quality and that bear re-watching. I hope this is not a general trend but I assume we’ll be seeing more examples given that streaming platforms are using advertising sales to boost revenue—another reason to prefer physical copies, I suppose.
I can’t imagine watching a movie online with commercials interspersed! That’s so 20th Century!
Copyright (c) 2023 by Dennis D. McDonald. The graphic at top was created using Microsoft Designer in response to a prompt asking for a playful design of colorful blu-ray and dvd discs swirling around as if they were about to disappear into a whirlpool.