How to choose download cards for your music
By the Slappcard teamFacts last checked
We make Slappcards, so we say where we fit and where we do not.
Use this guide to judge any service that sells download cards, ours included. It ranks and names no one. It sorts cards by how they work, gives you ten questions, and shows our own answers, weak spots included. The last section is a checklist you can copy.
First, decide which kind of card you need
Cards differ most in how a fan gets in. Here are five kinds, sorted by mechanism rather than by company. Slappcard sells the first off the shelf and nothing else on this list.
| Kind | What the fan does | What you control | What you give up | At Slappcard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A QR card to a private page, one link for the whole run | Scans the card, enters a name and an email, and listens. | The tracklist, whether downloads are on, the fan list and the stats. A reprint never breaks cards already out. | Per-card limits. There is no code to cancel or count on a single card. | Sold off the shelf. This is what a Slappcard pack is. |
| A unique one-time code on every card | Types or scans a code that works once. | One redemption per buyer, and tracking card by card. | The simplicity of one link for the whole run. | A custom order only. There is no public price; ask for a quote. |
| A tap-to-play card | Taps the card on a phone instead of scanning it. | A card that opens with a touch rather than a camera. | Reach. Tapping only works on phones that read NFC, which is why the Professional Kit also carries a QR code. | Only the Professional Kit taps (it has NFC), and it is by quote. Packs are QR only. |
| Codes only, printed by you | Enters the code on a redeem page. | Your own printing, your own design and your own run size. | The service prints nothing for you, so the work is yours. | Not offered. |
| A link card that opens a streaming service | Scans a QR code that opens someone else's page. | Nothing to host: the page already exists. | An email unlock, a page of your own and a fan list of your own. | Not what we sell. Some people call these digital streaming cards. A Slappcard hosts your tracklist on its own private page and does not put your music on Spotify or any other streaming service. |
Ten questions to ask any service
Ask every service these ten questions. Each one says why it matters, what a good answer looks like, and what ours is. Our packs are Legacy Slappcards, 100 to 1,000 cards each.
1. Who hosts the music, and for how long?
Why it matters. Hosting costs money somewhere. Ask who pays, and what happens when they stop.
What to look for. A written statement of how long hosting lasts, whether a fee starts later, and how much notice you get before the page goes away.
Slappcard's answer. Hosting for your private fan page, your tracklist and the downloads comes with every pack while Slappcard runs the service, at no extra cost. Our Terms say we will email you at least 30 days before hosting for a pack in good standing ends.
Weak point. We promise no fixed number of years. The promise is tied to Slappcard running the service.
2. What does the fan have to do to listen?
Why it matters. Every extra step costs you listeners. Typing a code into a redeem page asks more of a fan than pointing a camera.
What to look for. Count the steps from holding the card to hearing the first track, and whether the fan needs an app or an account.
Slappcard's answer. The fan scans the card with a phone camera. There is no app to install. They enter a first name and an email, both required for music cards, and then the page plays. The fan stays unlocked on that browser for 90 days.
Weak point. Every fan types an email before the first play, and some will not.
3. One link for every card, or a code on each?
Why it matters. The most consequential question. It decides whether a lost card matters, whether you can run a limited drop, and whether a reprint breaks cards already out.
What to look for. Ask whether each card carries its own code that stops working after one use, or whether every card opens the same page. Ask which one you are buying.
Slappcard's answer. Every card in a Slappcard pack carries one shared link per design. Scans are unlimited and nothing burns out. There is no per-card code and no way to cancel a single card. Anyone holding or photographing a card can open the link, and search engines are told not to list it. A shared link suits handouts and reprints. Per-card codes suit limited drops, and they are a custom order: ask for a quote, because there is no public price.
Weak point. If you need one redemption per buyer, a pack is the wrong product.
4. Who gets the fan emails, and can you use them?
Why it matters. For many artists the list is the reason to hand out cards. Whether you can write to the people on it depends on what they agreed to.
What to look for. Who receives the fan's email, whether the fan agreed to hear from you, what you can export, and whether the service sells the list.
Slappcard's answer. The artist sees every unlock, whether or not the fan ticked the box to get news. The artist can export only fans who ticked the box to get news and fans from before the card asked; other fans can be viewed but not exported. Our Privacy page also says of a fan's email: "It is not sold, and no other artist receives it."
Weak point. Fans who skip the news box are visible to you but cannot be exported.
5. What stats do you get?
Why it matters. You learn whether a show worked from what you can count afterwards.
What to look for. Which numbers you get, how often, and whether you must log in to see them. Ask whether anything is tied to a named fan.
Slappcard's answer. Plays, downloads and scans show up on your artist dashboard. Weekly or monthly analytics PDFs in your inbox: no login required.
Weak point. Plays are counted, not tied to a named fan. You cannot see which fan played which track.
6. Can fans stream, download, or both?
Why it matters. Streaming keeps people on your page. Downloads put the files on their phone, which some artists want and others worry about.
What to look for. Whether you choose, and whether the fan keeps the files.
Slappcard's answer. Fans stream your full tracklist on your page. Downloads are a switch you set for the run. Fans keep the files only when downloads are on.
Limit. Under our Terms, downloads are for the fan's own listening unless you say otherwise.
7. How is the card designed, who prints it, and can you change it?
Why it matters. A printed run cannot be fixed afterwards. See the card first, and know what happens if it comes out wrong.
What to look for. Who designs it, whether you see a proof, the return policy, and whether a delivery date is promised.
Slappcard's answer. You design the card in your browser from your cover art. Our team will email you a proof to look over before we print. Cards are not returnable. Once we have started printing or design work, the order is final, and we replace or refund a pack only if the whole pack is defective.
Weak point. We publish no turnaround time, and our Terms say any timing we give is an estimate, not a promise. If you have a show date, ask first.
8. Where do they ship, and what does it cost?
Why it matters. Shipping can add cost or delay, and some services do not ship to you at all.
What to look for. Which countries the service ships to, and what shipping adds to the price.
Slappcard's answer. Free shipping to the US and Canada.
Weak point. If you live anywhere else, we cannot ship to you.
9. What does it cost per card at your quantity, all in?
Why it matters. The pack price divided by the number of cards is the number to compare, but it is not the whole bill.
What to look for. Divide the price by the cards. Then ask about a setup fee for each design, a yearly hosting fee, a minimum run and the cost of shipping.
Slappcard's answer. These are our published pack prices, with the cost per card worked out from the same numbers. Hosting and shipping are covered in questions 1 and 8.
| Pack | Price | Cost per card |
|---|---|---|
| 100 cards | $120.00 | $1.20 a card |
| 250 cards | $140.00 | $0.56 a card |
| 500 cards | $160.00 | $0.32 a card |
| 1,000 cards | $180.00 | $0.18 a card |
The cost per card is highest at 100 cards and lowest at 1,000 cards. Today's prices are on the pricing page; for what arrives with a pack, see What You Get.
Weak point. A card count we do not list is a custom order, quoted by email.
10. What happens when something goes wrong?
Why it matters. Sooner or later a card will not scan or you will have a question. You want a person you can reach.
What to look for. A phone number, an email address, a form, and what the service does about a lost card.
Slappcard's answer. You can send a message through the support form, call 1-877-925-1907 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Pacific, or email contact@slappcard.com. A free consultation is available before you buy. Because every card shares one link, a lost card exposes nothing the other cards do not, and there is nothing to cancel per card.
The support form is on the support page.
Weak point. We promise no reply time.
If your current service stopped taking orders
If your download-card service stops taking orders, work through this list.
- Check the service's own pages, then email it to ask whether new and repeat orders are accepted.
- Ask whether the cards you already printed will keep opening, and for how long.
- Ask whether you can export your stats and your fan emails.
- Cards you already printed point at the old service. Moving to another one means printing a new run, which follows from how a QR code works.
- Slappcard cannot redeem another service's codes or move its hosting.
- If you need per-card codes, ask for a custom quote.
- Do not wait until the week of a show.
Where Slappcard is not the right fit
A pack is the wrong choice if any of these is true.
- You need each card to carry its own code, off the shelf. Per-card codes are a custom order.
- You live or ship outside the US and Canada. We ship to those two countries only.
- You want a tap-to-play pack. Only the Professional Kit has NFC, and it is by quote.
- You want codes only, or you want to print the cards yourself. We offer neither.
- You need a guaranteed delivery date. We publish no turnaround time.
- You want to redeem another service's codes, or move its hosting here. We cannot do either.
The checklist on one page
Copy these into a message to any service.
- Who hosts the music, and for how long?
- What does the fan have to do to listen?
- One link for every card, or a code on each?
- Who gets the fan emails, and can you use them?
- What stats do you get?
- Can fans stream, download, or both?
- How is the card designed, who prints it, and can you change it?
- Where do they ship, and what does it cost?
- What does it cost per card at your quantity, all in?
- What happens when something goes wrong?
Start with the card
Design your card from your cover art and see the pack sizes before you pay. Questions about per-card codes or the Professional Kit? A free consultation is open to anyone.