TechDirt, always a source of great content on copyright and trademark conversations, shares a story of one company's efforts to kill their customer evangelists.

The company: EMI Records.

The customer evangelists: the indie record stores.

EMI decided, it seems, that indie record stores and their customers were no longer worthy (We're They're not worthy...) of EMI's attention. EMI would be happy though if the indie record stores continued to buy EMI's products; just not directly from EMI. Instead, these stores serving fervent, dedicated, evangelistic customers of indie labels, who passionately follow those bands on indie labels, who share their passions with each other via Word-of-mouth as all passionistas do...could buy EMI products, well from anyone but EMI.

Huh.

There are reasons you fire customers. Barry Moltz discussed 6 Reasons to Fire a Customer. Indie record stores do not satisfy even one of those reasons.

For the life of me, I can't understand why you would fire not only a customer, but a group of customers, who voluntarily put your product in front of the most passionate dedicated consumers of your product.

Being the kooky guy I am I would think you would instead invest in that relationship. What about this?

  • Build a unique community for your indie music stores and their customers.
  • They can share what EMI products (and others) are selling and why.
  • They can share where the artists are performing. (Um, EMI, that's free promotions from the most trusted source: fans.)
  • They can share stories of what promotional efforts work, what social media tools work.
  • Give the site to the community and let them build it. If you build it they will come applies to more than a baseball field. It applies to a community of passionate fans about unique products.

But, hey, I'm a kooky guy. And EMI is a big brand with highly paid executives who just killed their customer evangelists...softly...with their decision.

Here's The Fugees with Roberta Flack performing Killing Me Softly.


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