Don't Muffle Indie Retail

I n the past, when independent retailers individually or collectively expressed an opinion, they were often dismissed as whiners.

Indeed, they often still are. In fact, worse descriptions are sometimes applied. When the indie retail coalitions collectively voiced disapproval to Irving Azoff and the Eagles for giving Best Buy an exclusive on the band's single, the manager dismissed the merchants as "idiots." More recently, Don VanCleave, president of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores, explained why Starbucks' Alanis Morissette exclusive has come under attack and urged the coffee merchant to become a force for good in the music industry. VanCleave was greeted with some responses advising him that indies are "whiners, so just shut up."

If indie merchants are perceived as whiners, it is likely because they have come to serve as the industry's conscience. When a label or distribution executive applies the "whiner" tag, it is often shorthand for "You're right, but we don't want to hear it."

Indie stores have long been the strongest retail advocates of artist development—and labels love them for that. But sometimes labels forget that in addition to increasing the sales of baby acts—to the benefit of all—indie merchants need certain hit artists and the easy sales they deliver to help keep the doors open and the lights on.

In a challenged industry, the growth of groups like CIMS, Music Monitor Network, and the Alliance of Independent Media Stores—as well as the urban coalitions that can be found in most major cities—is more important than ever. Their opinions need to be heard.