UK-based physical music and packaging manufacturer Key Production has announced a new expansion this morning: ‘Smart formats’. These are physical products that use NFC technology to embed digital access codes which fans can use to get bonus content: music, videos, messages from artists and more.
What kind of physical products? A wide range: Key Production cited wristbands, badges, keyrings, mugs, t-shirts and slipmats as examples, along with vinyl, CDs and cassettes. In the case of these music formats, all sales will be chart-certified in the UK.
In fact, Key said that sales will be registered twice: once for the physical format and once for the digital ‘Smart’ version.
“It’s an opportunity for artists to share special content directly to fans who will value it the most, in accessible and creative ways,” said CEO Karen Emanuel. “I see them becoming a core part of a release campaign alongside other physical formats.” The first partner for the new products is web3 startup Serenade.
