MIXTAPES FOR A DIGITAL WORLD

Back in days of yore, before we had smart devices, Netflix, Spotify or iTunes, people would gather around their Hi-Fi component stereos to create – the mixtape.

The mixtape came in many forms, there was the tape you made for your date, the tape you made for parties, or the tape you made as present when you were strapped for cash. Since the rise of the machines, aka the digital world, the art of making a really good mixtape seems lost to the ages. That is, until now.

A new Aussie start-up, Sharetapes, is hoping to revive that art using something most people keep close to their person at all times, their smartphones.

Using a mixture of NFC technology, QR codes and music streaming services (Pandora, Spotify, Youtube and 8Track), these modern day mixtapes allow users to create personal playlists, encoded to a credit card sized ‘Tape’ (complete with cassette-style label) which can then be posted or given to a loved one, friend or in the case of musicians handing out demo tapes, record label.

Once a person receives a Sharetape, all they need do is tap it against their NFC-enabled device or use the QR code and their mixtape playlist begins.

It’s not confined to audio tracks alone either, you can also curate video playlists to send out. A handy way for filmmakers or bands to get their video content distributed.

In an interview with NFC World, Sharetapes CEO and Co-Founder, Richard Dupe explained, “I have always loved mixtapes, growing up I had a cassette player in my room and a box of tapes my mum had given me. They were taped off the radio, mixes my uncle had made and random unlabelled compilations full of music from the last few decades.”

“That was how I got introduced to music, artists that were long dead, some without the recognition they deserved, or sometimes new bands that hadn’t broken out yet,” he said.

The benefit for musicians, songwriters and DJs seems obvious, keep a few on hand preloaded with your music/video clips to give out at gigs, or to any promoters/label representation you may meet.

The company also offers customised label orders, allowing musicians to feature cover art or press images to your Sharetape. MTV recently used the custom label service when launching the single-camera comedy series Faking It, distributing its press kit via Sharetapes.

“[It’s] a great way for artists to reach new audiences and hand out their music to anyone they meet, in a memorable way” said Dupe. “We’ve also had a lot of interest from brands and marketing agencies wishing to distribute digital media to consumers in a fun and technologically relevant way.”

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

Sharetapes can be purchased in packs of 5 for A$9.99 or single packs for A$2.49 (as part of a Valentine’s Day promotion).

For more info, check: www.sharetapes.com