There seems to be such a discussion regarding misuse of videos going
on. Isn’t this a list of professionals who, more often than not,
make their living off of personal design and talent? I would think
that this group, along with similar professional trade groups, is
made up of people sensitive to royalty rights and compensation for
efforts. So, there probably isn’t any problem here.
As I remember it, Ray Gabriel set up rentals for 21 days. If you
decided that you wanted to add the tapes to your collection, you
simply paid the listed price for the tape and kept the copy he had
rented to you. I would think that a lot of videos got sold that way.
(I assume he had credit card # on file for people who were late with
returns/didn’t return too, but I don’t know for sure.)
What I really liked about the renting idea was: a) I could watch and
decide if I was interested in trying the techniques used by other
jewelry artists, b) I could decide if the techniques were something
that I could pursue in my home shop (i.e. how much equipment, time,
supplies would be needed and if I could afford them), and c) Bang
for the buck, I knew that I would be able to gain knowledge without
having to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars going to a workshop
and leaving my family for a couple of weeks. (Which isn’t ever
really an option for me right now.) I’m an at-home mom trying to
collect my equipment and knowledge when I can, for the least amount
of money I can. I know this isn’t the “norm” for most of this group,
but I just thought I’d offer some understanding for why rentals seem
like such a great idea to a person like myself. 
Also, how many videos do all of you have in your collections,
including movies? Probably a number of them. Do you purchase the
videos without seeing them? Do you rent it first or see it in the
theatre and then decide that you want a copy for those late night
marathons? A typical video is around $20, a professional video is
usually more than that ($40-60). Personally, I always want to see
what I’m putting my $ into, if I can.
Several people have suggested that SNAG, Florida Society of
Goldsmiths, and the Houston group have videos to rent. I will
probably look to upgrade my Metalsmith subscription to a membership
and rent with them, but I know that I will purchase any video that
meets my needs and I am confident that anyone on this list would do
the same.
JM