Muzicard is a completely customizable, printable credit-card-sized USB drive that acts as its own music player, giving artists a channel to their fans that bridges the worlds of physical media, social media and streaming.
As the music industry rapidly evolves, both independent and label artists have been looking for the right avenues to connect with fans in ways that offer something for everyone. Fans want to support their favorite artists, but for the most part they have left CDs behind; artists want to offer physical merchandise that delivers the music that they’ve worked so hard on, as streaming can be unfulfilling to the artists’ bottom line and to the fans’ investment in the artistry. Download cards often go unredeemed, so what’s the right way to get the music to fans on the road or at home, at a merch table at shows, or as an all-in-one EPK to venues or promoters?
The answer comes in the form of Muzicard – a Nashville-based artist service startup, and the name of the physical product they help create. Muzicard is a credit card-shaped USB flash drive with functionality similar to a CD and much more. The card actually acts as its own music player, via a proprietary html interface, featuring album art and more. This album widget can be customized to offer a full album, live cuts, rare tracks, best-of, or whatever the artist wishes to provide the fans. Further, the interface offers a video player, artist info, fan signup, links to social media, a sponsorship section and more, similar to the artist’s own website. Cards come with custom printing on the front and back. Drive sizes are available between 1 and 128 GB.
The album widget will work with a variety of devices, including PC, Mac, smart phones, tablets, smart TVs, and vehicles that support USB media. The main functions of the widget (Audio, Video, Album Art, Shout Out) operate completely within the card itself and do not need an internet connection to function. Just open the widget and press play on computers. In vehicles, plug in and enjoy autoplay, and on tablets, access the content either via a lightning cable or a cloud-based iteration of the widget (by scanning the QR code on the card itself – also works for smart phones).
Company founder and principal Mike Farona states, “With CDs quickly becoming obsolete, Muzicard offers an opportunity to provide fans with the next generation of music merchandise that merges the physical with the digital world of music. Muzicard offers a consumer-friendly plug-and-play music device that’s not only elegant and simple to use, but easy for artists to create and update.”
Muzicard features
- Dynamic data – Never get stuck with out-of-date product again. Muzicards can be updated whenever.
- An audio/video player that plays hi-res audio and HD video.
- Get the card size that fits your product. Do you want to feature 20 songs and 20 videos? No problem; we can do that.
- Fan Signup form that goes straight to your inbox.
- “Have it now” feature – QR code-enabled downloads to mobile devices.
- Include a call-to-action, engage fans through social media, etc.
- Include sponsorships on the back and inside of the card.
- Coming soon: Card tracking. Know when and where your cards are plugged in.
More information: Muzicard
