Behringer Believes There’s a Musician in Every Human Being
Behringer and Playing for Change Foundation share a common vision: to empower those who don’t have and cannot. This vision is inspired by the personal story of Uli Behringer, the founder and CEO of Behringer.
When Uli was a teenager, he was amazed by the analog synthesizers that emerged in the '80s such as the Sequential Prophet-5, Roland Jupiter-8 and the Oberheim OB-Xa. He desperately wanted to own one of these synths, but they were way too expensive for him. He spent every free minute at the local music store to play with these beautiful instruments. But one day, the store owner kicked him out and told him he was taking up space for other customers who could actually buy the synths.
Feeling hurt and frustrated, Uli decided to build his own synthesizer, the UB-1 at the age of 16. While later studying classical piano and engineering, he worked hard to make a living, playing in places like piano bars, weddings and coffee shops. This is when he realized that many musicians like him could not afford the gear they wanted and decided to dedicate his life to making audio equipment for the people who needed it the most and giving them a voice.
Almost 50 years later, Behringer’s mission is to bring back all the legendary synths from the '80s and make them affordable and accessible to everyone. The UB-Xa is the first one of these synthesizers and the entire Behringer team decided to give up their profit for this cause.
Previously, Behringer donated 1,500 synthesizers to 166 charities working with underprivileged children around the world. Furthermore, they were inspired by Playing for Change’s message and donated $100,000 to the foundation to support their work. They are now working closely with Playing for Change to make an even bigger impact by making this collaboration a reality, bringing more positive change than ever before.
The UB-Xa: A Dream Come True for Synth Lovers
The UB-Xa is a synthesizer that is based on one of the most iconic analog synthesizers that changed music in the '80s, the Oberheim OB-Xa. It is worth over $ 5,000, but Behringer initially decided to offer it for only $ 1,499, making it possible for everyone who loves synthesizers to own a piece of the music history.
They want to do even more than that. They want to use the UB-Xa as a tool to empower musicians who don’t have access to music and make a positive impact in the world.
How You Can Make a Difference
The Behringer employees have collectively decided to lower the UB-Xa price further to $ 1,199, making it even more affordable. But they are also giving you an opportunity to donate to the Playing for Change Foundation. If you can pay more than 1,199 for the UB-Xa, you can donate the difference to the $ 1,499 price to the Playing for Change Foundation or any amount you can afford. Every dollar counts.
Behringer will match every donation up to an additional $1,000,000 until December 1st 2024. Please help us raise $2,000,000 altogether to change many lives through the power of music.