Uli Behringer takes to Facebook to hit back at all the haters
Everyone has to face their critics sooner or later. Behringer is no exception, as the company has been the target of attacks from all sides for a long time. To a manufacturer whose business model is based on products “inspired” by well-established brands and selling them dirt-cheap, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Behringer could just shrug it off, but the company has reacted surprisingly thin-skinned several times, most notably when it sued a Chinese website in 2018. Now, Uli Behringer himself has taken to Facebook to deliver a message to the ‘haters’.
Behringer reacts to ‘haters’
The company’s founder starts by saying that “there is not one magazine, forum or thread where we don’t get criticized or even attacked”. At the same time, Uli Behringer acknowledges that not everyone likes the company:
We understand and respect that not everyone likes us or me and that’s perfectly fine.
He continues by saying that constructive criticism is always welcome and that it’s an opportunity to “learn and improve”.
Customer obsession
Uli then claims that the company is guided by “two obligations – to relentlessly deliver what our customers desire and to observe the law.” He later calls this idea a “customer obsession”.
And then he gets to the point and claims that “technology is free for everyone to use unless it’s protected.” According to Uli Behringer, the laws were designed to promote competition “for the benefit of you the customers and for society to progress.” He says that “patents expire after 20+ years” and that after that, the intellectual property is “available to anyone”. In his world, there’s no doubt that Behringer isn’t stealing anyone’s ideas, but merely challenging its “competitors to deliver better quality at lower prices”. He continues by claiming that other companies are joining Behringer’s “mission” and that he welcomes everyone who “believes in our vision”.
David or Goliath?
It’s remarkable that Behringer feels the need to defend himself so vigorously. Legally, the company seems to be operating on safe grounds for the most part, or Behringer would be showered with lawsuits. And looking at the company’s commercial success, one would think that a few hateful comments would just bounce off.
So what’s the deal? In my opinion, the post is basically marketing. Behringer doesn’t need to confront haters in this way. But it’s a welcome opportunity to once again portray the company as some sort of ‘Robin Hood’, who fights for you, the customer, against all those expensive brands. Behringer is a Goliath who wants to be seen as David. Its whole marketing strategy revolves around this idea, from the “Music Tribe” moniker to posts like this one to the private-then-public exchange with the inventor of the Devil Fish TB-303.
What do you think? Are you on board with Uli Behringer’s “customer obsession” attitude? Do you feel that Behringer is on your side? Let us know in the comments below.
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15 responses to “Uli Behringer takes to Facebook to hit back at all the haters”
Any grown adult who sincerely uses the term “haters” should have their Internet access revoked. Behringer make great products, but the copy-paste has been significantly more common of late. That is a valid criticism, however that might make Uli feel.
You should have your internet access revoked. And your right to eat.
Is he breaking any law? Apparently not. ALL SAID! Uli, where’s my BYNTHEX? I love you Behringer!
I don’t understand why no one is giving the software industry hell for making clones for 20 years now?
I LOVE BEHRINGER
I have Moog Stuff, and Behringer Stuff. It’s all good. I’m really psyched about the Moog Modular line. I gave my supplier a full list of modules to pre-order when they announce.
Haters!
Re-releasing products after they made money for 20 years before their patents ran out.
Doing so for far lower prices.
Filling a studio with hardware emulations, for the cost of 1 vintage piece.
(Anyone complaining about “virtual instrument” emulations?)
The internet is full of haters, but these particular haters fall in the category of douchebags.
Some people are inclined to “protect” all “intellectual property” in perpetuity.
Others believe all information should be free.
If you make something, and put it into the world, we the people have made laws giving you 20 years of exclusivity, do you need more time?
You can always keep your shit to yourself.
But all of these things, as far as I know, are commercial product, sold into our markets, under our rules, and Behringer is taking advantage of those rules, and making those products available to WAY more people, just like all the original manufacturers knew could happen.
There’s no surprise here on the part of the original manufacturers.
Because these electronic devices are marketed to consumers as creating “magic” and people buy into that, people may feel it’s wrong to “steal” someone else’s “magic”, that doesn’t exist. But the companies don’t.
Last 3 thoughts:
The same thing happens with generic drugs, except the original manufacturers often gouge their consumers for as much as they can get away with before a drug falls off patent.
And….Disney wouldn’t exist but for taking old copyrights the second they fall off, and creating “new works” from them.
Finally, for a kid that grew up poor, and had to make music with whatever I could get my hands on, this moment in time, between free/cheap DAWs, VIs, low cost Hardware Emulations like Behringer’s, and top tier manufacturers releasing low cost/high quality versions (an SSL for $1500!), the tools needed to express your art, and to make quality recordings, that can compete with the best stuff out there (did you see the Grammy’s this year?), have never been available to so many, for so little.
So fuck the haters!
G.
Mr Wright, you are right. Couldn’t have stated it any better. Go Behringer, build whatever you want to and let the people decide.
“Filling a studio with hardware emulations, for the cost of 1 vintage piece.”
Name one Behringer product that has the build quality of a Moog.
Haha, Uli Behringer is Mother Theresa of the synthesizers……..
You can hate him, but, think about it.
Behringer is the ONLY company who is asking questions from customer these day. Literally, they are the only one!
Behringer doesn’t get criticism for making clones or trading on out-of-patent designs. Everyone makes use of prior work and ideas in creating new products, and many businesses do appropriate reissues and software adaptations. On this narrow issue, the problem is not with benefiting from out-of-patent designs (though doing that alone as a business is already a cause for concern). It’s the disrespect with which he does and pointed harm he repeatedly causes because that is who he is.
Behringer gets criticized for abysmal business practices, ignoring copyright and trademarks and daring people to sue his built-on-the-work-of-other-producers monster company, contributing nothing new to the industry – nothing that is not nicked from someone else, often from someone he is actively trying to harm (his “tributes” to “loves” amount to cheap knockoffs trading on the name recognition and look of his targets – sparing himself the costs of both research/development and marketing – with repeated attempts to undermine their ongoing businesses), and the tales of woe from his employees are unparalleled in the industry. That’s minimal start and all of the criticism on these and other points is, in my opinion, entirely appropriate – after starting out, like most of us, well-disposed toward the idea of low-priced gear and brushing off negative comments.
Making matters worse is his loathsome habit of lashing out with disproportionate venom and craven attorneys at anything that displeases him on the internet.
I could go on, but this parasite does not merit the attention he gets. He also abuses journalists, despite their willingness to cover his latest bits of vengeance against large and small targets in the gear trade and the lack of anything new in these appropriations of preexisting products. The addition of a weak sequencer or an extra jack or two does not make a new product, yet the music media report and retailers readily support the psychosis of this guy and the ongoing harm he does to the trade. When do you stop covering this crap? When do we stop buying it? It is time to stop making excuses for this person. Stop covering the company and people are less likely continue the self-delusion required to indulge in this particular impulse-buying of future landfill that provides a bad company with more ill-gotten gain.
Just stop, say no to it.
Great Behringer and Uli.
You listen to customers.
You do what most customers want.
Continue in the same style.
Behringer is the best thing the synth market has done in the last 20 years.
Me and millions of others say, Yes.
berhinger is een goed product.Waarik mij aan erger ik ben 84 jaar kan geen engels duits of een andere taal waar om geen handleiding/gebruikshandleiding in het nederlands
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