This recent YouTube video from LTT on the topic of ripping DVDs and Blu-rays has got me wondering:
I’m not a big fan of stores, hoarding physical stuff and DVDs and Blu-rays, but I do love owning my stuff digitally and supporting the artists. Is there a service that let’s you buy the movie, TV series or anime that you want to watch and then simply download it to your drive? No app, no subscription bs, no delivery, just straight money for an .mkv file and that’s it?
TL:DR: Is there an equivalent to Qobuz but for visual enjoyment?
Edit: So in summary, the often repeated mantra of “piracy exists because it is more convenient than traditional services” doesn’t just apply to subscription streaming services, it applies to direct digital movie purchases too. I suppose the best approach remains to split the “supporting artists” part from the “digital file getting” part, at least until a service with a modern catalogue pops up that unifies the two parts.
That sounds like a really solid approach!
As for Amazon Prime Video, they aren’t really a company/service I trust with supporting the artists behind it, also seen by the fact that they’re increasing their cut each year (Amazon’s average cut is now at 50%, and somehow I have a hunch that they won’t stop there). And I was already being generous by asking for a 50% split, compared to platforms like Steam (30%) or the App Store (30-15%) it’s insulting.
Basically, for me Qobuz’s attractiveness doesn’t lie in offering direct downloads, as we all know there are other ways. Personally it’s attractiveness lies in not having to support artist by buying tickets to their show, buying their merch, buying CDs and leaving them sealed anyways, donating or funding their sideprojects, but instead in supporting them by directly buying their product, in that case it being their music. All the other stuff is just waste I don’t want.
