Music is about to embark on a new journey and the advent of Web3 seems to be just the right time to start.
People increasingly use streaming platforms with their smartphones to listen to music. Despite this, a very significant number of people (more than 15 per cent) do not want to give up the physical music medium. And it is precisely this fact that has generated a growing increase in vinyl sales, achieving astonishing results.
Market surveys, however, speak for themselves: many people don’t listen to the vinyls they purchase: because they don’t have a turntable, because they’re not used to using it, because they are not accustomed to that special listening experience, or simply because they just want to hold a nice object in their hands, to collect or use as a gift.
Compact discs, on the other hand, have become obsolete, non-usable objects due to the gradual disappearance of cd players. For the past ten years therefore, vinyls and streaming platforms have become the choice for users buying music on physical or digital media.
This invites reflection as to whether the current scenario can, or indeed should, generate an alternative towards evolution.
Besides vinyl and streaming, is there a possible alternative?
Can this be both physical and digital fruition? The answer is QUARdisc.
Aimed at fans of the physical music medium who, until now, could only choose to buy compact discs or vinyl, this innovation indicates a new direction: it is a different system, a necessary evolution that combines and harmonizes the physical and digital experience. It also introduces unique interaction with the product, resulting in a special, exclusive, unprecedented user experience.
This new product is presented for use in what is known as ‘phygital’ mode. In line with the times and designed to accommodate and satisfy the current needs of the public, the artists and the industry, QUARdisc is a complete product: the sum total of the best experiences to be had among all the systems and modes currently in use.
In fact, QUARdisc features packaging that has the aesthetic appeal of a vintage product, offers excellent sound quality, is convenient to listen to on a smartphone, and adds the ability to interact with the product.
Size, thickness, and weight are generous. QUARdisc upholds the value of the cover as album art, an artistic and conceptual expression, inspired by the attention given to covers in the golden years of the record industry, some of which not only played a silent role in the history of famous artists, but were also recognized as being true works of pop art.
Each QUARdisc is sequentially numbered, with an identification number that makes each one unique, collectible, and valuable, as no reprints are planned.
Inside the cover is a booklet, containing no less than 16 pages, including information, graphics, text, photographs. An additional rigid support contains a slot with a small card. The latter has a USB solid memory containing two types of audio files. Overprinted on the card is a QR code, which, once scanned with a normal smartphone, allows the purchaser to download and access the free QUARdisc App, where the audio files are immediately made available to listen to on the smartphone.
After registering, which is a quick and easy process, the exclusive App automatically creates a user profile, which gives access to a platform, where you can collect and listen to the albums you have purchased and gain access to a series of services and information: in-depth details on the tracks, special news and backstage content about the artist, services and engaging activities, as well as an exclusive micro-social network called Q-CLUB that connects artist and fans. Users can actively participate by interacting with the community in different ways, commenting with posts and videos, participating in exclusive initiatives (online performances by the artists, live meet & greets, occasional online meetings with them) and if they have a personal Wallet, connecting to the artists’ NFT world as well as certifying participation in their live events.
These are only some of the special QUARdisc features that will be implemented later this year.
Some special features are already in place, such as the possibility of inserting a personalised video dedication in the product App when purchasing a QUARdisc as a gift.
