More a cooperative than a conventional business, Albemarle Sound Ideas is a provider of consulting services in mass communications and event production. Since it's inception, ASI has produced over fifty concerts featuring some of the top national acts in the fields of blues, jazz, and R&B, provided consulting services to several political campaigns, and collaborated in management of dozens of other special events. In addition, ASI has created and manages web sites, and has produced scores of specialty media products.

     ASI is the evolving offspring of Michael E. Rau, a middle-aged dreamer and restless soul who since the late 70's has been combining his fascination with the ways people communicate (or don't), and his obsession with being a vehicle for positive social evolution. Admittedly through necessity, he discovered very early on that he could compliment his own talents with those of artists and managers whose services were available on a per-project basis. Over many years, ASI has evolved into a network reflecting an awesome array of talented individuals in all fields related to mass communications, thus giving us the ability to always provide our clientele with the best creative minds they could hope to find.

     Created in 1978 as Albemarle Sound Productions, Rau originally hoped it would become the management arm for his burgeoning musical career. Eventually conceding his mediocrity as a player, Rau turned to the business side, participating in the production of several music events until 1986, when ASP self-produced and promoted the first of dozens of concerts, a show at Norfolk's legendary King's Head Inn by reknowned blues guitarist, Duke Robillard. ASP's reputation became one of an organization as concerned with the art as with the business.

     Evolution occurred again in 1991 when ASP was retained to create the media campaign for a candidate for the Va. General Assembly. This experience convinced Rau that he should expand the company's focus to being a vehicle for political and social change, as well as cultural access. He changed the name to Albemarle Sound Ideas to reflect this shift (Click HERE to read some print media references to our work over the years).

     Since then, ASI has specialized in bringing consulting and implementation services to clients engaged in meaningful social, political, and cultural activity, who otherwise might not have access to the same level of quality and creativity available to the strictly-for-profit segment of our society. From traditional media to state-of-the-art information technology, ASI brings the cutting edge of mass communications to the masses...