Coming up this week, whatever happened to Blockbuster, the video giant. From being on every street corner, and from being an intrinsic part of pop culture life (who didn’t, in retrospect of course, love the panic of having to rewind the video tape before returning it to avoid a fee, so that your parents didn’t yell at you)… Blockbuster’s death seemed rapid, unceremonious, and kinda sad.

Now, if you ask most people what happened to Blockbuster in the mid 2000s, the instantaneous answer is…. Netflix. Netflix killed Blockbuster.

Ehhh, not quite. While there’s no question that Netflix (and other on-demand video services, like RedBox) were a contributing factor, and perhaps even the coup ge grace, the seeds of Blockbuster’s destruction had been sewn far, far earlier.

What happened in the mid 2000s to Blockbuster was a perfect storm of variables - some within the giant’s control vs others that flew out of nowhere – which came home to roost. Variables that, when realized concurrently, made decline all but inevitable.

This week I will take you through the decline of Blockbuster: how it happened, why it happened, and whether it could have been avoided.

The Risktory Podcast is created, written, produced and hosted by Jacinthe A Galpin.

Soundtrack (sourced from www.freemusicarchive.org)
Alan Spiljak – Clouds
Alan Spiljak – Forgotten
Alan Spiljak – Light blue
Alan Spiljak – Empty days
Alan Spiljak – Stars above
Alan Spiljak – Not the end
Alan Spiljak – Sun
Alan Spiljak – Flying away
Alan Spiljak – Time
Alan Spiljak – Fantasy in my mind

Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbuster_LLC
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathansalembaskin/2013/11/08/the-internet-didnt-kill-blockbuster-the-company-did-it-to-itself/#303d59106488
https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregsatell/2014/09/05/a-look-back-at-why-blockbuster-really-failed-and-why-it-didnt-have-to/#36cd5e1c1d64
https://www.retaildive.com/news/who-really-killed-blockbuster/564314/
https://www.kentucky.com/news/business/article227349884.html
https://globalnews.ca/news/5067378/last-blockbuster-video-store-thriving/

Equipment I use
*RODE NT USB Bundle Pack (mic, tripod and boom arm included) - https://amzn.to/37OZI6T
*Adobe Audition - https://amzn.to/2OjXchn

* Disclosure: These links are Amazon.com affiliate links. If you use them to make a purchase, the Risktory Podcast will earn a commission. Keep in mind that we link these companies and their products because of their quality and relevance to this week’s episode, and not because of the commission we receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you. Thank you for your ongoing support of the Risktory Podcast.