Straight answers
What each academy includes, what it costs, how updates work, and how to try one free. Tap a question to open it.
Is this for what I actually do all day?
Almost certainly. The academies aren’t organized by software. They’re organized by the desk that does the work. Find yours:
Each academy carries the desks that fit it. Copilot and Claude cover the whole building, the Data Desk is reporting and analysis, and Geeky Nerds is IT. Not sure which one is yours? Tell us what you do and we’ll say straight which academy fits.
What exactly am I buying?
A complete, self-contained AI training academy: real-work scenarios with copy-and-run prompts, the GCES prompting method taught step by step, ready-to-build AI agents, reference libraries, how-to videos and progress tracking.
It’s a one-time purchase with lifetime access. Each month we check every academy against current vendor documentation and refresh it in place. Those updates are included at no additional cost. There is no subscription to use what you buy. You sign in at vinyl-academy.com and find it under My Academies.
Each academy stands on its own, so you only buy what fits your work. The only recurring option is a team membership, which is arranged by inquiry rather than sold from the site.
Which academy is right for me, and what does each cost?
Every price is one-time. Tap an academy to see it.
What does the Control Room include, and what doesn’t it?
The Control Room includes the four platform courses (Copilot, Claude, Gemini and Meta AI) plus its own technical library for IT, data, systems and security work.
It does not include the individual academies’ own scenario libraries, agent builds or prompt vaults. For example, the Copilot Academy’s own scenarios and agent builds are separate from the Control Room’s technical library. If you want the full Copilot or Claude library for your team, buy that academy as well.
Which AI tools does it cover?
All four. Gemini and Meta AI each get a full academy of their own, not a mention in passing. Copilot and Claude are $89 each, Gemini and Meta AI are $49 each, and the Control Room carries all four courses together.
The job-based libraries (the Trading Desk, the Data Desk, Geeky Nerds and Rock & Roll) teach with Copilot and Claude.
You can start without a paid AI subscription, because many scenarios can be tried on the free versions of the tools. Some features, including building agents, need a paid plan from the tool’s maker. Every scenario is labeled with the tool it fits best.
Do I need to be technical?
No. If you can send a text message, you can do the core material. There is no coding, and every prompt is copy-and-paste with clear instructions on where to put it.
The IT-focused material (Geeky Nerds, the Control Room and the Automation & Scripts desks) includes optional scripting scenarios. They’re there for people who want them, and you can skip them.
Can I try before I buy?
Yes. Every academy has a full video tour you can watch free, start to finish, before you spend anything. You’ll find them on the Academies page under “Try it free.” You see exactly what’s inside first. Still unsure? Email us and we’ll tell you straight which one fits you.
What’s your refund policy?
Because you can watch the full guided tour of any academy free before paying, all sales are final. If something is genuinely broken or you can’t access what you bought, email us and we’ll fix it or make it right.
Is there a bonus?
Two.
The B-Side: Windows to Mac. It’s included free with the purchase of any academy, whichever one it is, and it is never sold on its own. You receive one copy. If you later buy a second academy, the B-Side is not added again. It’s a translation dictionary that maps twenty years of Windows habits onto the Mac: the four keys that change, thirty everyday translations, and the settings to change on day one. You’ll find it under My Academies once you’re signed in.
The Platinum encore. The Control Room, Copilot, Claude, Gemini, Meta AI, Data Desk, Geeky Nerds and Rock & Roll academies each finish with a bonus step: worked examples of talking to an AI one step at a time, so you can see the method used on an ordinary job.
Can my whole team use one login?
No. Each purchase is a single-user license with one active session at a time, so signing in on a second device signs out the first. For teams, each person gets their own seat. Email us for multi-seat arrangements.
Where is my progress saved?
Your points, completed scenarios and saved prompts are stored privately in your own browser, on your own device. Use the same browser and device and it’s there next time. It does not carry over to another device or browser.
Does the content stay current?
Yes. The AI tools change fast and we treat that seriously. Every month we check each academy against current vendor documentation and refresh it in place. Updates, and any new material we add, come to you at no additional cost.
Something else?
Email jimmyk@vinyl-academy.com. It’s a real person, and you’ll get real answers.
Ready to look inside?
Watch any academy’s full tour free, then buy once and keep it.
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