Why do distribution companies need tape masters?

[Free Gumbo]

I have a distribution deal with a direct to DVD company and they want three different types of tape masters. I don't understand why, when you can export virtually any type of file and send it to them on a cheap portable hard drive. Anyone know why they would still want tape?

 

[David G. Smith]

For archiving purposes. Tape assets are known to last decades, under proper storage conditions. Digital archiving is still too new to bet on, which is what a distribution company is doing when they agree to buy your film. I can see there point. I have tape projects from the late eighties that are perfectly fine and yet I lost a new project I was working on when a HD fried last month. I have the raw footage stored on another drive, but I lost several weeks of editing, audio and graphics work. This is not the first drive I have fried, by a long shot. Tapes are more secure than hard drives.

 

[alveraz]

Did they buy your film? What's the contract say? If they purchased the entire project, that'll include the tapes. It's not yours.