Ménage Á Pop is a three times a week intimate discussion between two people and a piece of pop culture.
There was a time when you couldn’t just finish Critters 2 on the bus. You’d have to venture out, peruse public shelves and, if you were able to find it, complete your viewing in a pre-designated allotment of time. Following that, you'd have to rewind the entire thing you just watched or risk additional charges to your local rental account. Such was the effort of getting a movie in the 20th century and singer Gretchen Bostrom LOVED it. So laminate that membership card and hope Xanadu is out as she takes you up and down the aisles of VIDEO STORES IN THE 1980s.
You can listen to, purchase and support the music of today’s guest GRETCHEN BOSTROM at www.gretchenbostrom.com .You cn also follow her on TWITTER @gretchenbostrom and on INSTAGRAM @gbossmusic.
POP NOTES
The first video store was the Los Angeles based VIDEO STATION which opened in December of 1977.
VIDEO STATION founder George Atkinson was already running a projection equipment rental store when the first round of commercial video tapes became available. He bought one copy of each of these 50 titles and proceeded to rent them at various memberships costs from his existing store front.
At the time of Atkinson’s first VIDEO STATION, Copyright law had yet to make it illegal for owners of video tapes to rent their personal collection. As his rental business expanded he became a key figure in the establishment of national and international policies around video rental business (this included the formation of the Video Software Dealers Association in 1981).
The first films to be made available on commercial video tape consisted of 50 selections from the 20th Century Fox film archives. Via a distribution company called MAGNETIC VIDEO, this first wave of 1977 releases included PATTON, THE SOUND OF MUSIC and MASH.
In 1979 MAGNETIC VIDEO would be the first company to release STAR WARS content on home video with THE MAKING OF STAR WARS, a 1977 documentary that originally aired on ABC.
As Atkinson’s VIDEO STATION expanded to multiple locations he chose to side step the term “franchise” by deeming each location an affiliate. This made his business immune to certain franchise tax laws while also allowing each store financial independence over its own sales.
Following VIDEO STATION’s success, both independent and chain video stores began expanding throughout the country. Some of the biggest franchises included WEST COAST VIDEO (founded in 1983), Blockbuster (founded 1985) and HOLLYWOOD VIDEO (founded in 1988) .
Video Stores were a massive success through the end of the 20th Century, incorporating DVDs as an attempt to stay current with changing technologies. The inception of NETFLIX’s rent by mail business model, its expansion to online streaming and the numerous services that followed served as the death knell to both independent and chain owned video stores.
Tune back on Friday when Gretchen graduates from college in time for a TV series ABOUT college with the Keri Russell staring FELICITY .
This episode of MÉNAGE Á POP was recorded by CAST, an online audio platform that lets you create and record a multi-guest podcast straight from your web-browser. It was then mastered by AUPHONIC, a web-based post-production service. Check out both sights for trial and subscription information.
MUSIC FEATURED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:
“Three Ways To Do That” (opening theme) composed and performed by The Madeline Prior. All rights reserved with Not A Holograms podcasts.
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Follow Tim Blevins on TWITTER @subcultist and on INSTAGRAM @subcultist.
Try to understand the present while living in the past with Tim’s weekly podcast 20TH CENTURY POP! at www.nahpods.com/20popcast
For questions, queries or, by random chance, press contact Tim Blevins at subcultist@gmail.com.