How Slappcard download cards work

Slappcard prints cards with your art and a QR code. A fan scans the code (or taps the Professional Kit’s plastic card to their phone), enters a first name and email, and lands on a private page with your music and downloads. The page is not listed on any public page.

• Hosts your music. Upload tracks once; they play on a private page for your fans, with downloads.
• Collects fan emails. When a fan unlocks a card, their email goes on your fan list.
• Shows your numbers. Streams, unlocks, and fan counts in one place.
• Emails you a weekly or monthly PDF. Opt in once on Analytics: the same listen, play, scan, and download counts land in your inbox so you do not have to log in every week.

Create your account

1. 01Go to the Slappcard homepage and click Sign up (top-right corner).
2. 02Sign in with your email (and a password), or with Google if you’d rather not remember another password.
3. 03You’ll land on a short welcome screen: “How will you use Slappcard?”

Tell us you’re an artist

Choose Artist, then fill in:

• Display name: how we greet you in the app.
• Artist name: your stage name or project name. This is what fans see on their unlock page.
• URL slug (optional): a short handle for your artist page, like my-project. Leave it blank and we’ll pick one for you.

Hit Continue, and your artist workspace is created. You’ll land in your dashboard at /artist.

Already have an account, or chose “Listen” first?

No problem, you can add an artist workspace any time from your Library. Look for “Become an artist” (also called “Create artist workspace”), enter your artist name and an optional slug, and hit Create artist. The empty library shows this form; you can also create a workspace from /artist if you land there without one. If you already had a page on the old site, ask the team for a claim link instead of creating a new workspace. Once your workspace exists, everything (releases, audio, pack orders, fan emails) attaches to it automatically.

Your dashboard is at /artist. It has these sections:

Overview

Your workspace snapshot: key numbers, your artist info, and a “Next up” list of suggested actions

Analytics

Streams, unlocks, fan-email counts, top tracks, account health, and optional weekly or monthly PDF email reports

Artist page

Your bio, website, and social links. Fans see your artist name and your social links on the listen page. The bio is not shown there.

Music

Your releases and tracks, create, upload audio, publish

Orders

Your pack purchases, where each one is in the order, and shipping

Shipping

Your default mailing address for pack fulfillment

Shop packs

Order Legacy Slappcards online; checkout attaches the order to your workspace

Fan preview

See your private page exactly as a fan does after unlocking

Fan preview (in the sidebar) opens the listen page fans get after they enter their email, and the Your public page (on the Overview tab) opens the page fans reach at your slug.

Your catalog lives in the Music tab. It’s organized in two levels: releases (albums, singles, EPs) and tracks (the songs inside them).

Create a release

1. 01Go to Music in your dashboard.
2. 02In the “New release” box, enter the title.
3. 03Pick the kind: Album, EP, or Single.
4. 04Click Add release.

New releases are published automatically, but fans only hear tracks that have audio uploaded, so nothing shows up empty.

Add tracks & upload audio

1. 01Click the + on a release to open it.
2. 02In the “Add track” row, type the track title, audio is optional at this point.
3. 03Each track has an Upload button (it says Replace if the track already has audio). Click it and pick your audio file.

• You’ll see a “Needs audio” badge on tracks without a file, and “Audio ready” once a file is attached.
• To swap a file, hit Replace and pick the new one. To take a file off a track (without deleting the track), use Clear audio.

Track order, publishing & deleting

• Order: tracks play in the order they appear in the list, the order you added them. Add tracks in the order you want fans to hear them.
• Publish / Unpublish: each release shows a published or draft badge. Published releases appear on your fan unlock pages; drafts are hidden while you keep working.
• Rename retitles a release or track any time.
• Delete release removes the release and all of its tracks. It asks you to confirm, and there is no undo.

Slappcard sells one pack, Legacy Slappcards, in four sizes: 100 to 1,000 physical cards. Every size comes with the full digital setup: hosting, your private fan page, email capture, and your tracklist with downloads. Design your card, pick the size, and order it online. See the pricing page for the published dollar amounts. The What You Get page covers the box, the gifts, the USB, and the Professional Kit.

100 cards: $120.00

100 cards from your design, a QR on every card.

250 cards: $140.00

250 cards from your design, a QR on every card.

500 cards: $160.00

500 cards from your design, a QR on every card.

1,000 cards: $180.00

1,000 cards from your design, a QR on every card.

Every pack includes

• 100 to 1,000 custom Slappcards with your design
• Live QR codes
• A hosted tracklist + download page (your private fan experience)
• A branded artist page
• Email capture when fans unlock

You pick the pack size (100, 250, 500, or 1,000 cards) at the end of the designer.

Designing your card

Design your card. It is 2 × 3.5 in (50.8 × 88.9 mm), the size of a US business card. Pick one of 21 layouts, add your cover art and words, add music if you like, then order.

Checkout

1. 01Go to the designer.
2. 02Design your card, add your music, then pick your pack size.
3. 03Enter your name, email and phone, and pay on Stripe. Your design is saved to the order.

• You do not need an account to order. You can design and pay as a guest. We create your artist page from the email you give at checkout, and it is yours when you sign in with that email. If you are already signed in, the order goes on your artist page, so that account needs an artist page first.
• Your design is saved in this browser as you work, so you can come back to it. Sign in to save it to your account.
• Checkout happens on Stripe’s secure payment page (credit or debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more). Your confirmation and proof go to the email you check out with, and an order placed while signed in shows up under Orders in your dashboard.

Shipping address

Your default shipping address lives under Profile → Shipping. Save it once and it automatically pre-fills at checkout every time. Moving or playing shows? Update it there so your cards always arrive at the right place.

What happens after you pay

Track an order under Orders in your dashboard:

1. 01Payment: Stripe confirms your charge.
2. 02Proof: Our team will email you a proof to look over before we print.
3. 03Printing: your cards get printed with your design and a QR code that opens your music.
4. 04Shipped: cards leave for your shipping address, with tracking when available.

Open any order to see its status, the ship-to address, and a timeline of events. When your cards ship, the carrier and tracking number show up right in the order detail.

Each card carries a QR code that opens your card link. Every card in a pack shares one link per design, so a pack of 100 and a reprint of the same design all open the same page. After a scan, the address in the browser looks like slappcard.com/c/Ab12Cd34Ef56Gh, and the end of it is the card code, Ab12Cd34Ef56Gh. Cards from a custom per-card run, and older cards from before the current system, have their own card code printed under the QR.

The unlock

1. 01Fan scans the QR with their phone camera (the Professional Kit’s plastic card can also be tapped): it opens your card link.
2. 02They see your artist name and a simple message: “Enter email to listen”.
3. 03They enter their first name and email, can tick “Send me news from” your artist name if they want to hear from you, and hit Unlock: done.

The private page

• Your artist name in big type.
• Your social links.
• Your tracklist in order, with a player and downloads.
• Their email is counted in your Analytics, and every play counts toward your streams.
• Keep listening: the browser remembers the unlock, so fans can come back without re-entering their email (they can “lock” the card again if they want).

Other card types

• Older cards (from before the current system) open a download-only experience.
• Some cards are scoped to a single release or single track: fans unlock exactly that, not your whole catalog.

Your numbers live in Overview and Analytics. Everything updates automatically, no setup.

Streams

Total plays across all your tracks (Overview also shows how many came in the last 7 days)

Unlocks (7d)

How many fans entered their email to unlock your cards in the last week

Fan emails

Distinct inboxes collected across all your cards, all-time

Cards issued

How many cards have been minted for your packs

Tracks with audio

How many of your tracks are ready for fans to hear

Top tracks

Your most-played songs, ranked by stream count

Email reports (opt in once)

On the same /artist/analytics page, turn on weekly (Mondays) and/or monthly (1st). We email a PDF of these numbers to your account inbox so you do not have to log in every week. Use Send test report once you have an email on your account. Fan addresses are never in the report.

The Mailing list on the same page shows every email that unlocked your cards. You can export the fans who ticked “Send me news” as a spreadsheet. Fans who did not tick the box stay in your list but are left out of the export.

Quick ideas once you have numbers

• Compare unlocks vs. streams: if unlocks are high but streams are low, fans may not be discovering the player; clear track titles can help.
• Use top tracks to know what to lead with next time.
• Check your fan-email count after a show to see how many people unlocked a card.

Your profile is the face of your private page. Edit it in the Artist page tab:

Artist name

The name fans see on the unlock page. It is locked once the workspace exists; the Slappcard team changes it for you.

Short bio

A line or two about you and the music (up to 800 characters). The listen page shows your artist name and your social links. The bio is not shown there.

Socials

Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, X, plus one custom label and link. Handles or links, up to 200 characters each; blank slots stay off the page.

Hit Save page, and fans see the update the next time they unlock. Use Fan preview to check how it looks.

Card support

Use the Support page for anything card-related. The FAQ answer “What if a card is lost, damaged, or won’t scan?” says what to send and what to expect.

Free consultation

Look for the consultation option anywhere on the site. It opens a short form (“Let’s get you set up”): your name, email, and optional phone, and a message about your project (pack size, show date, custom artwork, whatever you’re planning). We will email you back. Prefer to pick a time? There’s a link to book one right in the form.

Email

Email contact@slappcard.com about custom packs, custom artwork or the Rewards program.

The Slappcard Rewards Program is run by Slappcard itself: no third-party network in the middle. Slappcard keeps the tracking and the payout records, and you keep a direct relationship with the artists you refer.

What you get

• A share link and code that comes with every pack you print, tied to your order and to your artist account.
• Commission on each referred artist’s first completed pack order: $10.00 for a Legacy Slappcards pack of any size. That is a flat rate; a pack promoted on a share pays that share of its own price.
• A live dashboard with clicks, referrals, and money pending vs. owed vs. paid.
• A pending, then final commission: it is recorded when the first pack is paid, held for 30 days, and only then becomes payable.

Who it’s for: managers, promoters, venue staff, and anyone artists turn to for recommendations. No fee to join, no minimum sales requirement.

Your share link

Every member gets a unique, URL-safe code. Your link comes in two interchangeable forms: slappcard.com/?ref=YOURCODE and slappcard.com/r/YOURCODE. Use whichever is easier to paste into a bio, a DM, or a flyer.

What happens when someone clicks your link

1. 01The click is validated. If your code is unknown or your status isn’t active, the click doesn’t count.
2. 02The click is recorded with the landing page and timestamp, so you can see which links pull traffic.
3. 03The code is saved on their device: cookie + localStorage for 30 days. No account needed: the credit is in place before they ever decide to become an artist.

How a click becomes a commission

Credit goes to the last click (the most recent share link someone clicks wins) inside a 30-day window. The code rides through the artist’s signup and checkout, and is saved with the order. When the artist completes their first pack purchase, a referral is created and, if it’s the first completed pack for that artist, the commission is posted as pending. A referral commission stays pending for 30 days and becomes final only when the referred purchase stands for the full 30 days. That clock starts on the day the pack is paid, not on the day the link was clicked.

Rules of the road

• One payout per artist: their first completed pack order. Every pack in that order that carries a rate earns its own commission; repeat orders don’t stack.
• Self-referral is forbidden: you can’t earn on an artist account you own or control.
• Inactive links don’t track: if your status is paused or disabled, no clicks are recorded and no commission accrues.
• The 30-day window matters: if checkout happens after the window (and no other code was saved in between), the credit may not stick. Get them to click and act while you’re top of mind.

The rate is set per pack, and published before you promote it: the flat amount above, the same for every Legacy pack size, or a share of a pack’s own price where a pack is running on those terms. Commission is paid once per referred artist, on their first completed pack order: every pack in that order that carries a rate earns its own commission, and orders after it earn nothing. A flat rate never moves with order size or with a discount; a share is worked out on the pack’s price after any discount. The buyer’s 10% first-order discount belongs to the buyer. Your dashboard shows the amounts that apply to you.

A commission is not payable the moment the pack is paid. A referral commission stays pending for 30 days and becomes final only when the referred purchase stands for the full 30 days. Your dashboard shows it as a pending total while those 30 days run, and as owed once it is final.

100 cards: $120.00

Your commission: $10.00 on that first pack

250 cards: $140.00

Your commission: $10.00 on that first pack

500 cards: $160.00

Your commission: $10.00 on that first pack

1,000 cards: $180.00

Your commission: $10.00 on that first pack

Buyer discount, the separate 10%

A brand new customer who checks out with a valid referral code takes 10% off their first order. That is the buyer’s benefit, not money you earn: a flat rate is never reduced by it, and a discounted order pays the same flat commission as a full-price one. Where a pack pays a share instead, the share is worked out on the pack’s price after that discount. You cannot discount your own order with your own code.

Pack prices are published on the pricing page. Checkout always shows the current price for the pack you buy.

A pack is 100 to 1,000 custom printed cards. It includes hosting, a private fan page, a branded artist page and email capture when fans unlock.

Records & payouts

• Every commission has a state: pending (the 30 days are still running), owed (final and payable, waiting for the transfer), paid (paid out), or void (canceled, for example a whole pack was refunded).
• Payouts are manual: we make each transfer ourselves and mark it paid in your dashboard.
• A commission is only paid once the artist’s purchase is completed and fulfilled and its 30 days have passed: an unpaid or refunded order never generates a payout.

The terms the buyer accepts

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. An entire pack means the whole run is unusable, not one card and not a few, so a single card that will not scan or arrives damaged is a support fix rather than a refund. The buyer accepts these terms at checkout, before paying.

A referral commission stays pending for 30 days and becomes final only when the referred purchase stands for the full 30 days. If a whole pack is refunded inside that window, the commission it earned does not become final.

Sign in and open /affiliate. The dashboard unlocks once your code is linked to your account. Until then it shows a friendly “no code linked yet” state pointing you to the rewards program page.

Overview

Clicks

How many times your links have been hit

Referrals

How many artists have come in through you

Pending

Commission inside its first 30 days, not payable yet

Owed

Commission that is final and waiting for the transfer

Paid

Commission paid out to you to date

• Your link: both forms, with a Copy referral URL button. One click and you’re ready to paste into any bio, DM, or post.
• Your status: active / paused / disabled badge, so you always know whether your link is live.
• Recent activity: your last 10 card scans, shop visits, and link clicks with landing page and timestamp. This is the best way to check your link: click it yourself and watch it appear.
• Earnings: pending, outstanding (owed) and paid to date. A commission shows as pending for its first 30 days, then moves to owed. The Slappcard team handles the detailed records and the payouts for now.

Know the pitch

The comparison artists already make is a CD run: you pay for plastic and freight and learn nothing about who has the disc. A Legacy Slappcards pack of 500 cards is $160.00, and packs run 100 to 1,000 cards from $120.00 (see pricing). Each pack includes a private listening and download page; email capture when fans unlock; and cards sold on published terms: no returns, orders final once printing or design work starts, and a replacement or refund only if an entire pack is defective.

Where to share your link

• Direct recommendations: artists you manage, mentor, or regularly advise. A personal DM beats any ad.
• Shows and industry events: put /r/YOURCODE on business cards, flyers, or just tell artists face-to-face. QR-friendly.
• Artist communities: Discord servers, Facebook groups, Reddit communities for indie musicians (respect each community’s promo rules, relationships outlast individual posts).
• Email lists, social bios and posts, and studio and production circles(engineers, producers, and studios who see artists spend money every week).

Tips for sharing your link

• Test your link before you share it. Open your own link and confirm the click appears in Recent activity. If you can’t see it, the credit is not there either.
• Always use your own link. A homepage screenshot without your code earns nothing.
• Follow up within two weeks. The 30-day window starts at the click.
• Share it at the right moment: when an artist is planning a release, a tour or merch.
• Keep it honest: disclose your share link when a platform expects it, and don’t spam.

Who can join?

Artists join automatically as their packs are printed. Managers, promoters, A&Rs, playlist curators, studio owners, or fans who refer artists can email us and the Slappcard team will link a code to their account.

Does it cost anything?

No. Joining, your code, and your dashboard are free. You earn when artists you refer buy packs.

How much can I earn?

A flat $10.00 for a Legacy Slappcards pack of any size, on each referred artist’s first completed pack order. That is a flat rate; a pack promoted on a share pays that share of its own price. No cap on how many artists you refer.

Repeat purchases?

One payout per referred artist, on their first completed pack order. Every pack in that order that carries a rate earns its own commission; orders after it earn nothing.

How is a sale credited to me?

Last stored code wins, with a 30-day window: the code saves on the visitor’s device and rides through signup and checkout. A later referral click on that device replaces it.

Checkout after 30 days?

The code may expire before checkout, and if no other code was saved, the sale may not attribute. Follow up inside the window.

When do I get paid?

A commission is pending for its first 30 days after the artist’s first pack is paid, then it becomes final and shows as owed. We send each payment ourselves, then mark it paid.

Returns and refunds?

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. If you cancel before we start printing or design work, we refund what you paid in full. Once we have started printing or design work, the order is final, and we keep the payment if you cancel. If we cancel an order ourselves, we refund what you paid. A defective pack is the whole run unusable, not one card and not a few. If a whole pack is refunded, the commission it earned never becomes final and is not paid, and a commission already marked owed is voided.

Can I refer myself?

No, self-referrals are forbidden. Your own artist account can’t generate commission for you.

Can my commission change?

The amount is flat, not a percentage: $10.00 for a Legacy Slappcards pack of any size. Slappcard can update the table with notice, and your dashboard always shows the amounts that apply to you.

Paused vs. disabled?

Active links track and earn. Paused means tracking is off (e.g. during a review). Disabled means the code is shut down, no clicks, no commissions. You’ll be told before your status changes.

Minimum sales?

No minimum to join and no quota.

Terms summary, the short version

• Commission: a flat $10.00 for a Legacy Slappcards pack of any size, on the referred artist’s first completed (paid and fulfilled) pack purchase, one-time. It is pending for 30 days from that payment and only then final. Amounts can change with notice.
• Credit: last click, 30-day window, tracked with a cookie and local storage in the browser, and carried through checkout. One code per visitor’s device at a time.
• Buyer discount: a new customer’s first order takes 10% off with a valid code. It is the buyer’s benefit and never reduces a commission.
• Eligible activity: only completed, fulfilled pack purchases by artists you referred.
• Prohibited: self-referrals, incentivizing clicks with fake traffic, cookie stuffing, or anything designed to manufacture credit.
• Returns: cards are not returnable, the order is final once printing or design work starts, and a pack is replaced or refunded only if the whole pack is defective. The buyer accepts these terms at checkout.
• Status & payouts: only active codes record clicks and accrue commissions. A commission runs pending (30 days) → owed (final) → paid, and payouts are manual.