Visit the Arjowiggins booth (L10) at Printed Electronics USA 2017 Santa Clara Convention Centre, CA, USA for a live demonstration of the world’s first
connected vinyl following a collaboration between several French companies.
This project is the first of its kind bringing together the physical world of music- the vinyl, with the digital world. Faced with a music industry in recession, where CD sales have plummeted, the idea of the connected vinyl appears to be an innovative, technological alternative with real economic potential. This project targets the music community at a time where the industry continues to face various challenges and is looking for a way to reinvent the wheel.
For the past 5 years, the sale of vinyls and turntables have been on the rise with people looking to return to the ‘physical’ and ‘experiential’ that was lost with new forms of music. On the other hand, the explosion and steady increase of connected and intelligent objects on the market is influencing human behavior and interaction and forcing the evolution of objects that we come into contact with every day. The concept of the connected vinyl was the result of a collaboration between three French companies in
an effort to further boost vinyl sales by equipping them with NFC chips within the label and using the services of an advanced electronic platform to launch a new generation of connected vinyl records with expanded content for music lovers.
The French stakeholders involved in this project include but are not limited to:
– Yesitis – a French start-up that came up with the overall concept referred to as Revive, and
developed the online platform & technology
– MPO France – vinyl specialist and producer
– Arjowiggins – developer of the connected paper for the label of the vinyl
How does it work?
Using the Powercoat Alive technology (connected paper for printing electronics), RFID chips (NFC) are integrated under the central label of the vinyl, at the very heart of the product. When this vinyl record is purchased, the buyer will still have the choice of listening to the music in a traditional way on a turntable (vinyl player), but thanks to this new technology he will gain access to a whole new experience.
By tapping the RFID chip with any NFC enabled smartphone, tablet or any object with an NFC chip reading system, the user would get access to a free streaming of 30 seconds for each song when in store. Upon purchase of the vinyl, the customer will receive a voucher code which he will be prompted to enter when he downloads the Revive App. This will give the user access to a secure interface with exclusive and original additional content about the artist and his music including full HD songs, concert dates, backstage videos, or any content the artist wants to share. The artist may well propose pre-sale of concert dates for those who have the Revive App and the vinyl.
For example, the user will be able to listen to the music that is on the vinyl on his telephone via a single tap of the RFID chip, but furthermore he will be able to access for example the lyrics of the songs, the dates of concerts, videos or even the artist’s publications on social networks creating a real intimate link with the music lover and the musician.
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‘Phygital’ music, new generation of listening to and accessing music
The target group of this product is the grand public but more specifically music lovers in today’s digital world. More and more people are turning to digital in all aspects of life, and this is no different when it comes to music. The industry has experienced several waves including the cassette, the arrival of the CD, the dematerialization of music with iPods, smartphones and streaming of music but also more recently the return of the vinyl- the return to physical in a digital world. This project marries the two, revolutionizing the music world.
This project is not just an innovation as confirmed by the “Innovation Award” that it received at the prestigious Consumer Electronics Show (CES), it is a revolution of the music industry and consumer behavior thanks to the linking of the physical and digital worlds. It also brings together various stakeholders, technologies and production processes including the design and production of the RFID antenna as well as the integration of this into the physical product (vinyl), the development of the online platform and secure technology as well as the content generation.
This gives music lovers a way to experience their love for the vinyl in a new way. It is ‘phygital’ music – the fusion of the physical experience with the digital, connected and social one. The additional content that the user will have access to will make him feel closer to not just the musician, but to other music lovers.
Already a winner
This first-of-its-kind project has already won the “Innovation Award” at the prestigious Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. YesItIs/ Revive who represented France (French Tech) at the CES in Las Vegas 2017 received the award in the category of digital imaging, entering the circle of the 30 most innovative solutions in the world. The CES Innovation Award rewards the most innovative products on the world stage in different categories. Musican Wax Tailor chose to launch his new album in exclusivity using this revolutionary new technology.
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