Sennheiser Presents RSA Program To Retailers
Sennheiser has announced that its Recording Sound Academy (RSA) program is now available to its entire network of authorized retailers. The program, which requires no monetary investment or stocking inventory on behalf of the retailer, enables MI and pro audio retailers to offer a comprehensive suite of learning resources to aspiring musicians, engineers and producers—including a series of exclusive webinars led by Grammy-winning producers and engineers. Through the program, consumers are also able to interact with the engineers to gain valuable tips and feedback on their mixes.
To participate in Sennheiser’s RSA program, retailers receive a unique code that can be distributed to customers via direct mail, in-store promotion, e-mail or product shipments, and other communications. Once customers enter the code and payment on the RSA Web site, a credit is passed to the dealer and the customer can begin leveraging a treasure trove of content, including live and archived webinars, blogs and tutorial videos.
Customers also receive CuBase 5LE mixing software and several raw tracks of music from “American Idol” star Bo Bice, which were recorded with Neumann and Sennheiser microphones. Customers can upload up to two mixes for evaluation (one from the provided tracks and the other of their own choosing, such as an original composition) and receive a critique by one of the RSA’s award-winning engineers.
Customers can sign up for the program for $99 with a dealer promo code (which includes a $30 customer discount), and Sennheiser provides as many postcards as the dealer requires containing individual retailer codes, as well as POP displays—all free of charge. Sennheiser also provides Web banners with the dealer code embedded, so retailers can promote RSA through social media and online avenues; each click that results in an RSA signup is then credited to the dealer. Retailers can distribute their codes any way they like—when a consumer uses the code during purchase, credit is automatically associated with the retailer, making it a simple, paperless transaction. Since there is no physical inventory involved, there is never a shortage of product.
RSA borrows instructional elements from Sennheiser’s on-site Recording Sound Academy seminars, such as tips and instruction on microphone selection and placement, recording and mixing techniques. Membership in RSA also includes access to RSA webinars, which feature instruction by accomplished producers and engineers on a variety of recording topics, and also feature a thorough Q&A session with the instructor.