Vote for unreleased DVDs at Amazon

[Allan Mack]

While looking for a yet-to-be released DVD at Amazon, I got this message:

Availability: NOT YET RELEASED: The studio is currently not producing this title on DVD, but to be notified when it is available, enter your e-mail address at right. You'll also be voting for this release; we'll let the studio know how many customers are waiting for this title.

Have any of you voted at Amazon? I didn't notice the above message before (probably because I never looked up an unreleased title before). Do you think that voting here would be more effective than an online petition because of Amazon's size and clout?

Anyway, I voted for several unreleased titles, such as: the Star Wars OT, the Raiders trilogy, Schindler's List, Dial M for Murder, Suspicion, the original King Kong, etc.

I don't know how effective voting at Amazon would work, but I don't think it would hurt to vote in different places...

 

[David Lambert]

To my knowledge, there has never been a release that seems to have been directly affected by voting at Amazon. I don't know if they pass it on to the studios or not. I personally feel it's a marketing gimmick to gather e-mail addresses for Spam purposes. In fact, the few things I DID vote for that eventually came out on DVD, I never got a note from them saying "you voted for this, here is the release date".

Is anyone else's experience different?

 

[Allan Mack]

For what it's worth, this is the auto-response I got from Amazon:

Greetings from Amazon.com.

Just a note to confirm that we've received your request to be notified when "Star Wars - Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back" is available for ordering.

We don't yet know when this item will be available, but as soon as it is, we'll send you an e-mail to let you know. Since supply is often limited and some products sell out quickly, we recommend that you place your order as soon as you receive our notification e-mail.

If, for any reason, you change your mind and want to cancel this request, please follow the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/sm/change/

If you have any further questions, please visit our online Help pages
(http://www.amazon.com/help); please do not reply to this message.

Thank you for visiting Amazon.com.

Sincerely,

Amazon.com Customer Service

http://www.amazon.com

Anyway, you made a good point about spam, but I'm pretty sure Amazon would notify me that a certain title is now available. After all, they want my money, don't they? Or am I just being naive?

Also, since I am already a customer of theirs (for 5 years now), they already have my e-mail address, so why would they need it again for spam purposes?

Also, there is a page where you can turn off e-mail notices from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/sm/change/

I just thought that, by voting at Amazon with legitimate e-mail addresses from actual paying cutomers, the results would hold a little more weight than signatures at an online petition where people can submit dozens of fake names and e-mail addresses.

Anyway, I don't think it would hurt to vote at such places like Amazon. I've never noticed any increase in junk e-mail when ordering from them, so I have no problem giving them my e-mail address...

 

[MarkHastings]

Of all the movies that I've signed up for. The only one that has been actually released was Austin Powers 2. I signed up immediately after seeing the movie in the theaters, but I seriously doubt that peoples votes influenced the DVD release. It would obviously have been released whether anyone signed up or not.

 

[Allan Mack]

That's a good point, Mark, but we're talking about DVDs that people have been waiting years for, not months. Movies such as those I listed above (Star Wars, Raiders, etc). Movies that have actually inspired people to make online petitions because of the long wait for these movies to be released on DVD.

I don't think Austin Powers 2 is in the same category...

 

[robert*g]

I did that once. I signed up for Ed Wood and Valley Girl :b

 

[MarkHastings]

I don't think Austin Powers 2 is in the same category...

I don't think so either. None of the others have been released so I can only tell you that AP2 was the only DVD that I voted for that actually was released.

I'm signed up for Star Wars and Indy, etc., but I doubt that voting would make much difference because these studios obviously have a reason for not producing them yet (it can't be because they think they wouldn't sell).

 

[Eugene Esterly]

I have voted on a good amount of unreleased titles on Amazon.com. I voted several years ago for Duel & I got an email several years ago when the info came out that Duel was going to be released. But then I found out a little while later that Duel was postponed/delayed.

 

[Patrick McCart]

You're better off voting for more obscure and overlooked titles. I highly doubt votes for Indiana Jones or Star Wars is going to mean much...Lucasfilm and Fox/Paramount know the films are in high demand.

 

[Allan Mack]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not implying that Autin Powers 2 is not worthy of being on DVD. Indeed, if it was 2008 and Austin Powers 2 was still not on DVD, you can bet there would be petitions to get it released!

You're better off voting for more obscure and overlooked titles. I highly doubt votes for Indiana Jones or Star Wars is going to mean much...Lucasfilm and Fox/Paramount know the films are in high demand.

Agreed. But I'd still like to be notified by e-mail if/when these titles ever get released. So I don't see the harm in submitting my e-mail address...

 

[Kwang Suh]

AFAIK, Amazon doesn't give out email addresses. They do, however, send you lots of annoying amazon stuff.

 

[David Lambert]

As far as the person who mentioned Valley Girl goes: it's coming sometime between August and October of this year. See if Amazon lets you know about it when they get it listed.

In fact, I'm tempted to go sign up for something that I know will be announced shortly but isn't listed at Amazon yet. It will be interesting to see what happens. Let me think of one and maybe I'll do it.

 

[robert*g]

That's great news. I have been waiting forever for it to come to Dvd.

 

[Tonya]

I have signed up for this service from Amazon many times. They always e-mail me when the title is up for pre-order on their site. A few that I've signed up for and received notice on recently include Far From Heaven, Adaptation, 25th Hour, and The Ben Stiller Show.

 

[Allan Mack]

I have signed up for this service from Amazon many times. They always e-mail me when the title is up for pre-order on their site.

Well, at least we know the e-mail notification feature at Amazon works. This is all the more reason for me to advocate voting at Amazon. I'm sure with Amazon's size and online presence, they must have some clout with the studios. And even if it turns out that they don't, there's no harm in voting there if only to take advantage of the e-mail notification feature...

Thanks, Tonya!

 

[JimmyK]

Anyway, you made a good point about spam, but I'm pretty sure Amazon would notify me that a certain title is now available. After all, they want my money, don't they? Or am I just being naive?

That's what you would think. However, I've signed up for many titles and have never received a heads up from Amazon when the titles were released.

Now I just keep a list of titles I want and periodically check www.imdb.com to see if they are available yet on DVD.

Amazon's notification service sounds good in theory, but in my experience, it doesn't work.

JimmyK

 

[MarkHastings]

I've signed up for many titles and have never received a heads up from Amazon when the titles were released.

I remember hearing about the Austin Powers release LONG before I got the email notification.

 

[Tonya]

I just received another Amazon notification about the DVD for Chicago, so it seems to still be working for me.

 

[John Watson]

Like JimmyK, I've noticed that the service for notices about releases for things (or performers) don't always work.
I pay attention tho, and check personally to see if something new has come out.

And Amazon's data bases of songs, disks, etc., are not very good. So many enquiries don't lead to a result that I expect.

The lack of info about many movies and cd's is hilarious - why would anyone order a title like that?

The only movie i remember voting for release was KING KONG. Apparently its still coming, but its a long wait

But I do like writing little reviews sometimes, Amazon is fun for that

 

[Scott Leopold]

I've always received notices for the movies that I've "voted" for in this fashion. Most recently are Barton Fink, Miller's Crossing, and The Thin Man.