The National Archives will sell historical films from its collection on Amazon.com through a deal with CustomFlix.
The firm, which Amazon purchased in 2005, sells DVDs manufactured on demand — that is each of the $19.99 DVDs is produced after the customers have ordered them. This means the National Archives doesn’t have to invest in any inventory, CustomFlix Marketing Director Stacey Hurwitz said, yet can still offer a wide variety of choices.
The National Archives will receive a free preservation copy of all of the DVDs for its own records, spokeswoman Susan Cooper said, and will collect royalties once CustomFlix has recouped its initial costs.
The first collection to be made available will be Universal Newsreels from 1920 to 1967, which were chosen for their “broad appeal” to the public, Hurwitz said. Six titles were released on July 16, and others are being added daily. About 200 new DVDs will be made available for purchase each month, Hurwitz said.
Cooper said the films would attract people interested in history, particularly scholars, students, and history buffs and, the company hopes, the general consumer. Many aren’t aware of the depth of the material, Cooper said. But there is a market for historical media, as sales of History Channel products and other educational titles have been successful, Hurwitz said.
