Keep Circulating the Tapes!

Usually when you see a page where you can download RiffTrax without paying for them, someone will post “Keep Circulating The Tapes!” in the comments section. We have to admit, from a rhetorical standpoint, it’s a devastating argument. We prepare what we feel are logically sound debate points about how our riffs are DRM-free, fairly priced, and a product of many hours of hard work, and therefore, worth paying for. But then a guy with a username like AynRandSonic420 says “keep circulating the tapes lol” and we realize we’ve been bested yet again.

Of course, you don’t have to be Socrates or Christopher Hitchens to find a few teensy little flaws in the argument, namely that RiffTrax is not MST3K. Stunning, we know. But allow us to point out a few differences. A) MST3K was a show that aired on Cable TV. RiffTrax is an artist owned and operated website. B) MST3K has not produced a new episode for nearly fifteen years, whereas RiffTrax is constantly releasing new material. And C) MST3K is called MST3K, whereas RiffTrax is called RiffTrax. This last point may be kind of hard to comprehend, but we think if you examine the evidence, you’ll agree with us that the two shows are indeed different.

And these differences are small but important. For example, if you wished to contact MST3K, you could send a letter to a PO Box. But if you wish to contact RiffTrax, since it is not MST3K, you should not send a postcard to that PO Box. In fact, do not send us anything in the mail, since it is not 1993. Instead, email support@RiffTrax.com.

You see, things change in twenty years. TV shows end, new ventures arise. Technology changes. Whereas a small regional show like MST3K may have posted “Keep Circulating The Tapes” in the credits to a few of its episodes as a means of increasing word of mouth, viewership, and thus advertising rates, RiffTrax’s sole means of income is the money our fans pay to purchase our content. No income, we can’t make any more riffs. It’s simple.

If you’ve got a VHS tape of a RiffTrax, by all means circulate it. (And then have your home inspected for wormholes to a parallel dimension. Since we’ve never released any VHS tapes, it must have fallen out of one.) But as far as our other products go, we’d really appreciate if if you bought them from our site, or donated for any you may have downloaded for free. And if you’d like to help us out but don’t have any tapes to circulate, please Follow, Subscribe, Like, Favorite, & Re-Tweet to help us spread the word and allow us to continue to entertain you.

Thanks for your support,

Mike, Kevin, Bill, the writers and staff at RiffTrax