Partnerships & Sponsors

Synthesized 2026-05-06 from 34 docs in ~/trc-drive-exec/Partnerships/ and ~/trc-drive-exec/Sponsors & Partnerships/.

Overview

TRC pursues three distinct partnership tracks:

1. Brand sponsorships — gear companies, lifestyle brands, beverages, and media outlets place product in the studio or sponsor events in exchange for content, artist exposure, and brand visibility. The canonical pitch is a monthly event series ($10K/month ask) with projected 7× ROI. Source: Sponsors & Partnerships/The Recording Club - Partnership Opportunity.pdf, Sponsors & Partnerships/Sponsorship Guidelines:.docx.

2. AI data partnerships — TRC produces professional audio and video training data for AI companies (voice/speech/video models). TRC positions itself as a full-service vendor: talent sourcing, studio recording (up to 8 simultaneous camera angles), clean delivery. Turing is cited as a completed contract. Active outreach across 100+ companies as of April 2026. Source: Partnerships/AI Partnership/4.8/ (18 files).

3. Community/venue partnerships — co-production deals with event brands (Free Nationals, Since the 80s), wellness studios (Pause Venice, CEREMNY), fitness clubs, and creative spaces. Typically barter/cross-promotion rather than cash. Source: Partnerships/AI Partnership/4.8/TRC-Partnerships-2026-04-09.csv, brand-partners-2026-04-09.csv.

The master standard pitch: full in-house production (artist curation → live event → media capture → distribution), exclusive audio brand rights across all rooms, monthly engagement.

Active Partnerships

Blackmagic Design

• Status: Current Sponsor/Partner
• Type: Gear (cameras)
• Contacts: Mary Plummer (Marketing & Curriculum Development) maryp@blackmagicdesign.com; Terry Frechette (Director of Marketing) terryf@blackmagicdesign.com
• Notes: Established relationship; BMD cameras used for event and studio content capture. No cash terms documented.
• Source: Sponsors & Partnerships/Sponsorships & Partnerships Pipeline 2024.xlsx

AG1 / Athletic Greens

• Status: Active sponsor with structured deliverable pipeline
• Type: Health/wellness product sponsor
• Contact: Jon Q (internal TRC liaison, AG1 rep); Jacob (relationship owner)
• Deliverables pipeline:
  • Jon Q: organizes AG1 products at events, captures 5–10 video testimonials per event (artists/influencers drinking AG1, talking about it, receiving product), uploads raw footage to AG1 Video Folder
  • Ari: edits into short-form and long-form content, uploads to Athletic Greens Dropbox (event-specific folders)
  • Jacob: notifies AG1 team when new content is available, maintains/grows relationship
• Tech: Logitech camera (continuous SD recording), up to 6 lav mics via Ableton on laptop
• Key dates: December 31, 2025 (NYE Event — goal: 5+ notable musician testimonials); January 10, 2026 (FestForum Event). First meeting: January 15, 2026, 9:30am. Participants: AG Team, Jon Q, Jacob, Veronia, Ari.
• Source: Sponsors & Partnerships/Athletic Greens Master Folder/Atheletic Greens Deliverable Pipeline.docx

Defined.ai (AI Data Contract)

• Status: Phase 2 Compliance / Active negotiations (as of April 2026)
• Type: AI training data vendor contract
• TRC contact: Greg Spero (greg@therecording.club)
• Defined.ai contact: Daan Baldewijns
• Known RFPs issued to TRC:
  • RFP PN18102742 (TTS Multi-locale): 2 hours total (1 hr/locale), 6 speakers × 10 min × 2 locales, 38 language markets (en-US, es-US, fr-CA, de-DE, ja-JP, zh-CN, and others). Professional voice actors required. Studio-grade: WAV, 48kHz, 32-bit float mono, LUFS-normalized (–23 LUFS). Metadata: speaker ID, age range, accent, gender, emotion/style label. Casting samples due: April 1 (of the relevant year). Full commercial buyout required. Source: Partnerships/AI Partnership/PN-18102742_DAI_RFP (1).pdf (mtime 2026-04-30)
  • RFP PN18102790 (UAE Dialect Conversational Speech): 2,000 hours, natural two-person conversations, UAE/GCC dialect speakers, stereo WAV dual-channel, 44.1kHz 16-bit PCM, Word Error Rate ≤ 4%, word-level alignment mandatory. Transcription via Neevo (ASR + human validation). Pricing required: per finished recorded hour (recording only), per hour transcription validation-only, per hour transcription ASR + validation. Diverse speaker pool: balanced gender, age range, 15+ speakers. Real-world environments (not studio-controlled) for conversational data. Source: Partnerships/AI Partnership/RFP_PN18102790.docx (mtime 2026-04-30)
• Action items (as of April 2026): Complete Phase 2 compliance forms.
• Source: Partnerships/AI Partnership/4.8/TRC_Session16_Summary.md, TRC_Session17_Tracker.md, both RFP files

Turing (AI Data — Completed Contract)

• Status: Completed/past contract
• Type: AI training data
• Notes: Referenced as proof of completed work in AI partnership outreach context. No contract terms documented in this bundle.
• Source: Partnerships/AI Partnership/4.8/TRC_Session16_Summary.md

CAD Audio

• Status: Past relationship from Tiny Room Studios (Inglewood); outreach for renewal at TRC Santa Monica
• Type: Gear (microphones)
• Key contacts: Brig Carr (President) bcarr@cadaudio.com; Glenn Roop (Director of Business Development) groop@cadaudio.com
• Notes: CAD gear used at both Tiny Room Studios and carried forward to TRC. Outreach email from Jacob re-established relationship. Gear planned for: Live Room (microphones), Recording Room (microphones), Podcast Studio (podcast mics). Status: "Showed Interest" in 2024.
• Source: Sponsors & Partnerships/CAD Audio Email.docx, Sponsorships & Partnerships Pipeline 2024.xlsx

InEarz (In-Ear Monitors)

• Status: In Progress / Building Relationship
• Contact: Martin Nardini (Director, Sales & Customer Service) martinn@personamedical.com
• Last outreach: August 4, 2024 — Greg sent follow-up about in-kind contributions in exchange for content curation of artists using product (potentially Zen series). Greg had prior relationship with Kaysen at InEarz.
• Source: Sponsors & Partnerships/Sponsorships & Partnerships Pipeline 2024.xlsx

AI Partnership Track

Strategy

TRC positions as a professional audio/video training data production house for AI companies. Core value proposition: talent sourcing + casting, studio recording (up to 8 simultaneous camera angles), multi-language capability (English US, Spanish US documented), clean file delivery. Standard LinkedIn outreach note (under 300 characters):

"Hi [Name], I run The Recording Club in LA. We produce professional video and audio training data for AI companies, handling talent sourcing, studio recording, and delivery. Since [Company] [reason], thought it worth connecting."

Target roles: CEO/Founder, Head of AI/ML, VP Engineering, Head of Partnerships, Chief Product Officer. CRM location: https://app.therecording.club/admin/marketing/partnerships (AI Partners tab).

Campaign History (Sessions 1–18)

Source: TRC_Session17_Tracker.md, TRC_Session16_Summary.md

Hot Leads (as of April 2026)

Source: TRC_Session17_Tracker.md, TRC_Session16_Summary.md, TRC_Master_Tracker.xlsx

Master Contact List (contacted as of April 2026)

49 companies with direct contacts in the master tracker, including:

• Defined.ai, SoundHound AI, TELUS AI, AIxBlock, Appen, AssemblyAI, Bland AI, CAMB.AI, Cartesia, Colossyan, DATAOCEAN AI, David AI, Deepdub, Deepgram, Descript, ElevenLabs, Gladia, Hive AI, Hume AI, Innodata, Invisible AI, LXT, Lovo AI, Mercor, Murf AI, Neuphonic, Noiz.ai, Picovoice, Prolific, Rask AI, Resemble AI, Respeecher, Retell AI, Rev.com, Rime, Sama, Scale AI, Speechlab, Speechmatics, Surge AI, TaskUs, Toloka AI, Turing, Twine AI, Verbit, Veritone, Voiceitt, WellSaid Labs, iMerit

103 companies total in master tracker (49 Contacted + 54 Not Contacted as of April 8, 2026). Not-contacted pipeline includes robotics (1X Technologies, Agility Robotics, Figure AI, Sanctuary AI, Physical Intelligence), foundation labs (OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Mistral AI, Character.AI), video AI (HeyGen, Synthesia, Tavus, Runway, Pika Labs), and more.

Source: TRC_Master_Tracker.xlsx, TRC_100_Contacts_Messages.md, TRC_100_LinkedIn_Outreach_Master.md

Target Company Categories (full pipeline)

Voice AI, TTS, Speech Recognition, AI Avatars/Video AI, Foundation Model Labs, Big Tech Voice Teams, Voice Security, AI Dubbing, Healthcare Voice AI, Gaming Voice AI, Contact Center AI, Music AI, Robotics.

JBL / HARMAN Partnership

Background

Greg Spero (Spirit Fingers Trio) connected TRC with Becki Barabas at NAMM. TRC sent a proposal deck (hosted at jbl.therecording.club) proposing a $10K/month cash + full gear sponsorship. A 15-minute call occurred March 3, 2026.

TRC attendees: Jacob (Membership Director), Veronia (Innovations Director). HARMAN contact: Becki Barabas — Global Manager, Product Relationships, HARMAN Professional.

Call Outcome (March 3, 2026)

What is off the table:

• $10K/month cash sponsorship — HARMAN Pro Division does not pay artists or studios. Division-wide policy, not negotiable.
• Free product / gear loans — Artist Relations budget was eliminated.
• The original proposal as structured.

What was offered:

• Dolby Atmos monitoring system at partner pricing: cost + 10% (described as "half what Guitar Center can buy it for"). Likely products: JBL 708P or 705i monitors, Crown amplification, JBL subwoofer. Becki offered to design the system. TRC must provide room dimensions, acoustic treatment details, photos.
• Discount pricing for additional rooms: recording room monitors, rehearsal room monitors, live room PA — all available at partner pricing. The larger the order, the stronger the relationship.
• Free Lexicon plugin licenses: unlimited seats, no strings attached. TRC must send the count needed.
• Studio visit: Becki wants to visit post-SXSW (April onward). Born and raised in LA.
• Light PR ask: social posts featuring JBL gear, press release at Atmos installation, photo/video of artists. No contractual obligations, no exclusivity requirements.
• HARMAN FLUX:: live immersive software: mentioned for live room / movie screenings. Worth exploring.

Key Intel on Becki Barabas

• Global Manager, Product Relationships, HARMAN Professional — controls partner pricing and product relationship designations worldwide.
• Studio background from early 1990s; cut teeth at Nadine's Music (next to Paramount Recording Studios).
• Recently helped Paramount's new owners get discount pricing.
• Already working with Om'Mas Keith (TRC member) directly.
• Communication style: extremely direct, no-BS, values honesty over polished pitches. Does not want people chasing her.
• HARMAN facing tariff pressures on manufacturing costs as of early 2026 — budgets tight.

JBL Consumer Division (Separate Opportunity)

Key decision maker: Chris Epple, VP of Marketing, Americas — JBL consumer (Bluetooth speakers, soundbars, headphones). Significantly larger marketing budgets. Cash sponsorships, product placement, and paid partnerships are standard on the consumer side.

Chris Epple profile: "Blending technology and culture," psychographics over demographics, video-first, TikTok as top channel, values creator authenticity. Award-winning brand partnerships (Doja Cat, Giannis, 100 Thieves). JBL Music Academy with Martin Garrix; SXSW Official Audio Partner. MBA from Fordham, former VP Marketing A+E Networks, ~7 years at HARMAN.

The original $10K/month proposal (monthly events, branded content, gear across all rooms) is a consumer division play. The lobby and mezzanine (lifestyle speakers, Harman Kardon) are consumer products.

Pathways to consumer: (1) Ask Greg Spero if he has a consumer-side contact; (2) Ask Becki for an intro to Chris Epple's team; (3) Research Chris Epple's team independently.

Original Proposal Structure (for reference)

Investment ask: $10K/month. Breakdown: $5K venue, $2K food & drinks, $2K musicians, 1Kmediaproduction. * *ROIclaimed : * * 7 × (70K/month) — Media Value $25K + Brand Exposure $15K + Artist Relationships $20K + Industry Influence $10K. Term: 6-month pilot suggested; minimum viable = $5K/month + gear loan. Full exclusivity: No Genelec, Focal, KRK, or Neumann in any room — full audio brand exclusivity offered.

Action Items (from March 2026 call)

• Jacob: Send follow-up email to Becki; confirm Atmos system interest; ask for room specs requirements; request Lexicon license count.
• Jacob/Veronia: Compile room dimensions, acoustic treatment details, photos for Becki to design Atmos system.
• Jacob/Veronia: Prepare full gear wish list across all rooms; draft PR plan.
• TRC leadership: Pursue JBL Consumer division connection via Greg or Becki.
• Jacob: Schedule Becki's studio visit (April).
• Veronia: Research HARMAN FLUX:: live immersive platform.

Strategic Outlook

• Short term: Lock in Atmos system at partner pricing.
• Medium term: Get Becki into the studio; open JBL Consumer conversation.
• Long term: Build TRC into a HARMAN reference facility in LA.

Source: Partnerships/JBL/JBL_x_TRC_Call_Takeaways.docx (2026-03-03), Partnerships/JBL/JBL_x_TRC_Call_Prep.docx (2026-03-03)

Sponsorship Tiers / Packages

AI Room Founding Partnership (Splice Proposal)

From a formal proposal to Splice, TRC's tiered offer for the AI Room:

Measurable ROI metrics: active seat hours, unique creators engaged, event attendance, content output, social reach and engagement, membership conversions attributable to activations. Creator protection: no member content used for training or marketing without explicit written opt-in.

Source: Sponsors & Partnerships/Splice/The Recording Club x Splice Partnership.pdf (2026-02-12)

Standard Brand Sponsorship Package (AM&S / General Template)

Based on the American Music and Sound proposal and AM&S collaboration doc:

Event cost breakdown (per event):

• Room: $900
• Audio: $150
• Food & Beverage: $150
• Staff: $250
• Total per event: $1,450
• Bi-monthly (2 events): $2,900

Monthly ask to single brand partner: $10,000 (covers venue $5K, food & drinks $2K, musicians $2K, media production $1K) Projected ROI: 7× — Total Monthly Value $70,000

What sponsors receive:

• Permanent gear/product placement across studio rooms
• Monthly curated events with elite artists
• Professional video and audio capture
• Content distributed across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok
• Artist testimonials and endorsement pipeline (Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Cory Henry, Sput Searight, Hadrien Feraud, Jesus Molina, Om'Mas Keith, Mikkel Eriksen/Stargate, BBC Radio 1)
• Social analytics: YouTube 1.17M total views, 74.5K watch hours, 9,012 subscribers; Instagram 7,042 followers (+4.5%), 42,916 views (90-day), 9,543 accounts reached.

Gear placement strategy by room:

• Live Room: mixing consoles (Allen & Heath), microphones (CAD Audio), keyboards (Nord), PA (BASSBOSS), monitors (Eve Audio)
• Recording Room: interfaces (Focusrite Pro), monitors (ADAM Audio), microphones (CAD Audio), headphones (Fostex), amplifiers (Randall/Ampeg)
• Podcast Studio: podcast mics (CAD Audio), monitoring headphones (Fostex), interfaces (Focusrite)
• Lounge/Social: DJ gear (Xone by Allen & Heath), turntables (Reloop), controllers (Hercules), amplifiers
• Mezzanine, Patio: speaker systems

Source: Sponsors & Partnerships/The Recording Club - Partnership Opportunity.pdf (2026-02-25), Sponsors & Partnerships/AM&S X TRC Sponsorship Collab.docx (2025-09-30), Sponsors & Partnerships/Sponsorship Guidelines:.docx (2025-09-27)

Splice Partnership

Writers Camp Proposal

A 4–6 day full-facility activation with Splice integrated into every room, demonstrating song creation from ground zero to live performance using Splice as the foundational tool.

Room-by-room creative structure:

• Rehearsal Room: song produced solely on Splice
• Recording Room: ~25% Splice + live instruments
• Live/Mixing Room: ~50% Splice + live performance elements

Deliverables: content capture in every room, podcast interviews (pre/post session), lifestyle and BTS content in common areas, health & wellness integration. Option to release music alongside content or perform live after camp.

Branding: Splice branding across all TVs, LED wall, and idle screens; co-branded TRC × Splice merchandise for staff and attendees.

Guest strategy: curated from both TRC and Splice networks; TRC members invited to attend and connect.

Source: Sponsors & Partnerships/Splice/The Recording Club x Splice Writers Camp Proposal.pdf (2026-02-12), Sponsors & Partnerships/Splice/Splice Writers Camp Overview.docx (2026-02-12)

Outreach & Pipeline

American Music and Sound (AM&S) — Primary Brand Partner Target

AM&S is an umbrella distributor representing multiple pro audio brands. TRC pitched a comprehensive sponsorship with AM&S brands placed across all rooms.

AM&S brands targeted for TRC placement: CAD Audio, Washburn, On-Stage, Studiologic, Waldorf, Nord, Allen & Heath, BASSBOSS, XONE by Allen & Heath, Reloop, Ecler DJ, Hercules, Focusrite Pro, ADAM Audio, Fostex, Eve Audio, Randall/Ampeg

Source: Sponsors & Partnerships/AM&S X TRC Sponsorship Collab.docx (2025-09-30), Sponsors & Partnerships/Sponsorship Guidelines:.docx (2025-09-27)

Brand Partnership CRM (April 2026)

Active brand/community partnership pipeline tracked in TRC-Partnerships-2026-04-09.csv and brand-partners-2026-04-09.csv:

2024 Sponsorship Pipeline (Historical)

From Sponsorships & Partnerships Pipeline 2024.xlsx:

• Current Sponsors/Partners: Blackmagic Design
• Showed Interest: Antelope Audio (Luyubomir Nedyalkov), Sweetwater Sound (David Klausner, VP Sales), CAD Mics, DPA Mics (Christopher Spahr, VP Sales & Marketing)
• Active Prospects (partial list): HARMAN International (Andrea Seib, Director Consumer Engagement Marketing), Live Nation (multiple contacts), Fender, GoPro, Yamaha, Shure Mics, Rolling Stone, Monster Energy, PepsiCo, Samsung, L-Acoustics, Roland, Beatport, B&H Photo
• No Response / Unlikely: d'Addario, AKG, Royer Labs, Roland Corp US, Fender, Universal Audio, Ableton, Shure, Blue Mics, Neumann, DW Drums, Martin Guitars, Sennheiser, ARRI, Line 6 (all emailed, no response)
• Declined: Orange Amps (Ella Stormark — Global Artist Relations, James Garza — National Sales Mgr)
• Not at this time: Shure (Eduardo Valdea — Associate VP Global Marketing), Bandcamp, Sweetwater

Key Contacts at a Glance

Open Questions / Contradictions

1. JBL Consumer outreach: No evidence that Greg or TRC has made contact with Chris Epple (JBL Consumer/VP Marketing Americas) as of March 2026. The $10K/month cash proposal is a consumer play — next step is unclear and action item was assigned to "TRC leadership" without resolution.

2. Turing contract details: Session 16 summary names Turing as a "completed contract" and uses it as social proof in AI outreach, but no contract document, terms, payment, or scope appears anywhere in this bundle. Dollar amount and deliverables unknown.

3. AG1 partnership continuity: Deliverable pipeline document dates from December 2025 and references specific event dates (NYE Dec 31, FestForum Jan 10, meeting Jan 15). No update on whether this pipeline is ongoing or concluded.

4. Splice status: Two separate Splice proposals exist — the AI Room partnership (2K–12K/month tiered) and the Writers Camp activation. No indication of whether Splice responded to either. No deal terms, no signed agreement.

5. AM&S / American Music and Sound: Full pitch deck was built and the proposal was distributed. No response or follow-up documented in the bundle. No signed terms or ongoing relationship confirmed.

6. HARMAN Pro pricing specifics: Becki Barabas offered Atmos system at "cost + 10%." No specific dollar figures were quoted. Action item to get room specs and send to Becki was assigned to Jacob/Veronia — outcome unknown.

7. AI campaign status (xAI / Chalmer Swanson): Chalmer Swanson said "Let's do it! What's your email?" — marked HOT across multiple tracker files (April 8–10, 2026). No documentation of whether a Zoom was scheduled or a contract followed.

8. Social metrics inconsistency: AM&S doc quotes YouTube at 1.17M views total; JBL prep deck says "100K+ views per video" as a baseline claim. These are different metrics (channel total vs. per-video) but could be misread by a sponsor.

9. Defined.ai Phase 2 compliance forms: Referenced as a required next step in multiple April 2026 trackers. No documentation of what Phase 2 entails or whether it was completed.

10. Consumer-division partnership pitch for JBL: The consumer-division strategy was identified but no outreach to Chris Epple was documented. This is a large potential revenue opportunity with no owner or timeline assigned.

Sources