Don’t fear the ReaPeR?

Remember how you could play albums backwards and hear secret messages? On The Beatles album, “Abbey Road” many people heard the phrase “Paul is Dead”, which caused many fans to believe that Paul McCartney had died in a car crash.

Some messages are not so hard to understand. Take the 1976 hit from Blue Oyster Cult, “Don’t fear the Reaper”

“All our times have come
Here but now they’re gone
Seasons don’t fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain..we can be like they are…”

MRIS sent a message to RPR that was loud and clear. “Thanks, but no thanks”. This is significant and symbolic in a lot of ways.

1. MRIS is the largest MLS provider in the country.
Not being able to get the largest MLS in country to sign up doesn’t bode well for the future.

2. Dale Ross, RPR’s CEO, is the former CEO of MRIS
If you can’t get the MLS you used to run sign up, then who can you get?

3. MRIS covers Washington D.C. the very place RPR hopes to sell the MLS data.
If you can’t get the local MLS to sign up, then how good is your coverage?

Plus 2 other significant developments have happen.

1. Laura Wolford has left the VP of marketing position or MRIS and has been replaced  by Rob Hahn (as a consultant), the blogger/consultant who declared “The death of RPR” is now running their marketing department. Not a great sign for RPR either.

2. Also, rumor is that MRIS is working on a home grown version of RPR, where they get to keep all the profits. Doubters might say that this will prove to be unsuccessful. These doubters are wrong and have not been paying attention to what MRIS CEO David Charron and his team have accomplished in the past several years.

“Come on baby…don’t fear the reaper
Baby take my hand…don’t fear the reaper
We’ll be able to fly…don’t fear the reaper
Baby I’m your man…”

Of course the MRIS board of directors could change their mind, but when you add all these factors up it doesn’t look good.

“La la la la la
La la la la la”

It’s clear now that RPR not offering MLS providers a way to share revenue generated from their respective data was a mistake.  Some companies are not only allowing MLS to “dip their beak” , but go for a swim!

So the solution is pretty clear, the MLSs have spoken…. MORE COW BELL RPR!!!