Right On, Scott

Kirsner, as usual, hits the nail on the head on movie downloads:

Studios simply haven’t put enough digital product out there, with innovative pricing models, for fear of cannibalizing DVD sales and antagonizing big DVD sellers like Wal-Mart and Target. That’s fostering piracy, and it’s allowing Apple to emerge as the dominant player in digital distribution.

If the studios really want to help create a strong rival to iTunes, why aren’t they giving exclusive content (like celeb interviews) to Amazon.com’s Unbox, or packaging a free download of the soundtrack with a purchase of a digital movie file? Why aren’t they promoting Movielink, a service they created in 2001 but have since let wither, or CinemaNow, which is majority-owned by Lions Gate?

...

…and also in the news today are some hints that Apple will start renting movies on iTunes this fall. ... Would rental make it easier for more studios to play with iTunes? Yes, particularly if Apple is willing to let them offer movies for rental only. Retailers wouldn’t feel threatened, since they’re not in the rental business. But it’d be time for Netflix to start sweating…

--CinemaTech: What's So Scary About iTunes?