Sound as a Pound

BOOST Record sales for PreSonus in past six months

Cavan-headquartered audio electronic specialist, PreSonus, has reported record sales over the past six months, with demand for equipment for lockdown-inspired livestreaming, podcasting and home-recording, going through the roof.

“We never saw it coming,” admits Eugene Greenan, general manager for EMEA with PreSonus Europe. “But lockdown has been brilliant for our business. Our sales have almost doubled over the past six months, all things considered. Where that came from, and in a way, was a surprise to us, but a lot of people used their time cocooning by recording themselves, setting up small home studios, and thankfully a lot of that business came our way.”

Another healthy market to emerge for PreSonus was in education, with remote learning now becoming very much knitted into any future framework.

Mr Greenan suggests that, for a period during the pandemic, there was a near three to four month backlog on orders for microphones alone.

“Education and home working, all of a sudden everyone needs a webcam, which we obviously don't do, but they also need audio solutions to match, which we specialise in. So that whole market is just booming at the moment,” he said.

The make hay moment coincides too with PreSonus making several major changes at a global level also, including announcing a new commercial products distributor in the Middle East, as well as overseeing the single largest software release in the company's history in July.

This involved launching a pioneering membership workspace, which combines the complete collection of PreSonus’ award-winning software solutions for recording, mixing, scoring, and producing.

Furthermore, from January 1 next year, PreSonus will change its distribution agreement in France, by moving the responsibility in-house at their Cavan office. “It means the Irish office here will be direct selling into all retailers in France. It's a big change, but we already do it for about 11 other countries at present, including Germany and the UK.”

To match demand, PreSonus is currently advertising for more staff across a range of specialised roles, with Eugene telling theCelt: “Where those are based is open for discussion, With France, obviously we need sales people on the ground there, but we will need support staff here in Cavan, and we expect to make in-roads there by the end of the year.”

The firm currently employs around 20 staff, and Mr Greenan adds that he hopes to discuss any future plans for PreSonus expansion with the IDA.

“We gotten to the stage that we've proven to [the American PreSonus office] that to invest in us they'll get a return, that it's money well spent. There are a couple more jobs coming definitely, some of those will be off-site because we need people on the ground in France and Germany as well. Things are definitely moving in the right direction as far as the business is concerned.”

On a lighter note, PreSonus has become an official stand sponsor at Championship side Wycombe Wanderer's Adams Park.

The original seated stand on the north side of the stadium has a capacity of 1,267.

The leading designer and manufacturer of audio-recording and live-sound software, hardware, and related products are linked with The Chairboys through the Couhig family.

The football-mad American business family secured a controlling stake in the Buckingshamshire club back in February this year, and ahead of beating near rivals Oxford to reach the second tier for the first time in the club’s 133-year existence.

PreSonus also now has an advertising presence on the club's jerseys.

Wycombe's manager, Gareth Ainsworth, with the help of PreSonus, also released a cover of Dion’s ‘The Wanderer’ to mark him becoming English football’s longest-serving manager.