TURN AUDIENCES INTO COMMUNITIES

It looks like a premium physical album, but inside is a tiny NFC chip. When fans tap it with their smartphone, they instantly unlock a digital hub filled with access to the full album (streaming and download), exclusive behind-the-scenes videos, bonus tracks or alternate versions, artwork, galleries, lyric books, early access to releases, special fan rewards and dynamic content that artists and labels can update at any time.

CRO, one of the most successful German hip-hop artists of all time, used ZATAP’s technology for his "Crodies". These plush collectibles have a ZATAP NFC tag inside and come in six different colors. Each color represents a certain topic (i.e. red = "love", green = "hope", or purple = "joy") and each color gives buyers access to a unique experience.

It looks like a small version of an old-school cassette and has a tiny NFC tag inside. When fans tap it with their smartphone, they instantly unlock a digital hub filled with content from the artist and the released album. This new music format has already been approved for the charts in Germany and the United Kingdom, US charts will follow soon.

To celebrate Y2K nostalgia, Sony Music Entertainment launched a series of mini CD keychains that double as interactive collectibles. Each of them can be opened to reveal a tiny mini CD embedded with an NFC tag.

With her latest album Freigeistin, Sarah Connor released an exclusive phygital Fan Pass for her tour in the form of an NFC lanyard. The Fan Pass can be added to the fans’ Apple and Google Wallet by tapping the NFC inside the lanyard. It allows Sarah to send push notifications to her fans to inform them about important updates regarding the tour. Sarah updated the content on the Fan Pass for each tour stop and created ongoing engagement with her fans throughout the whole tour.

Fans received a bundle of a HOHNER harmonica and a physical cassette with an NFC tag embedded. But why are fans buying a cassette, assuming most of them don't own a cassette player anymore? Tapping the NFC tag with the smartphone unlocks exclusive studio videos and bonus tracks from the album Fête Foraine, turning this collectible into a living fan experience. The physical-digital connection transforms the act of owning music into an ongoing relationship between artist and fan.