Frequently Asked Questions

Smart Formats are physical items that unlock chart-eligible music and content on Serenade. They can be as collectible as a mini CD or cassette or as simple as a sticker placed on a concert poster. Each Smart Format contains 1 unique redemption link that is accessed when a fan taps the item on their phone, engaging an NFC chip hidden within.  

Any item that can conceal an NFC chip can conceivably be a Smart Format. We’ve heard it all by now, from silicone droid keyrings to action figures with chips embedded in their heads. If you have an idea for a product that we haven’t listed, please get in touch and we can create a custom quote for you. That said, if you want your Smart Format to be chart eligible, we offer a list of pre-approved items here.

Smart Formats are available for purchase globally, but as they are shipped from London, UK, please be conscious of delivery timelines when coordinating your release.

Smart Formats count towards the OCC Chart in the United Kingdom and Ireland; GfK in Germany, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands; and ARIA in Australia and New Zealand. We are not chart accredited in the US yet. Rules apply to each territory, see here for more information. 

Serenade is accountable for reporting all sales of Smart Formats, reporting a sale once a fan taps a Smart Format on their phone and redeems the digital product contained within.

Check out our Shop Smart Formats page for pricing information.

We work collaboratively with third party manufacturers and brokers that use our technology while building their own physical items. See our Digital License product page for more information.

We offer sustainable options for virtually every one of our products. Select the ‘No plastic’ option on each product page to see product variants that leverage cardboard, metal and sustainable materials like bamboo.

All smart phones since 2015 have included NFC-reading functionality. That said, if you stumble across a fan with an older phone, suggest that they redeem their Smart Format with a friend’s device.

Once an order is placed, you will be asked to deliver artwork and other creative assets to Serenade to help design your perfect Smart Formats on the house. Like a vinyl, CD or cassette, the nuts and bolts of each Smart Format are fixed, but artists personalise their products with their own artwork, colours and fonts.

Smart Formats that require no custom design work like our stickers and clothing tags are posted in 1-3 days from purchase, meaning you can place an order and list your products for sale within the week. Custom products have lead times varying from 2-6 weeks. All items are posted from London UK to the world, so please bear this in mind when setting expectations.

Our best seller is undoubtedly our sticker as we can turn around an order overnight and help with last minute campaign pressures. Other than our stickers, mini CDs, cassettes and patches have been big hits with artists and fans.

Photos, videos, audio and other files like PDFs or ZIPs can be included in your Smart Format. From a chart eligibility point of view, the general rule is if the content is directly related to the album being sold, then it is permitted. For more detail, refer to our FAQ article, ‘Bonus Content and Chart Eligibility’.

Each Smart Format is powered by the Creator Platform, our creative toolkit that allows artists to add and remove content as frequently as they like, schedule new releases, and observe fan data. You can learn more about the Creator Platform here.

Album Artwork:

• Dimensions: 1:1 (Square)
• Max Dimensions: 4000x4000px
• Max File Size: 100mb
• File Types: JPG, PNG

Track Files:

• File Types: WAV (Recommended), MP3 (min. 320kbps), FLAC

Bonus Content:

• We currently impose no file size restrictions on our bonus content.
• File Types: MP4, MOV, JPG, PNG, MP3, WAV, FLAC, PDF, ZIP

Smart Formats can be sold online or in-store (meaning at venues, retailers or pop-ups). Where you sell your Smart Formats, and whether you’re paid with cash or card, doesn’t impact their chart accreditation.

1/ At gigs or pop-ups

Print out an A4 page with a clear 1-line description. Some examples include:

• Limited edition poster with tour edition album
• Mini CD with album, behind the scenes footage and track by track voice commentary
• Be the first to own my record with this limited edition Mini Cassette

2/ On socials

Bring some personality into your announcement. This is a new way of selling your music, have fun with it. Have you ever been able to wear an LP? Iron-on a CD? I didn’t think so. So, let your fans hear about it.

Remember to cover the following touch points:

• We’re doing something extra special
• It’s limited edition and collectible
• It’s packed with exclusive content
• It’s available for a limited time / online / in store only

Check out this example announcement post from Cassyette and this one from Blossoms.

3/ On your website

Remember to include the following details:

Title

• [Album Title] Mini CD or [Album Title] Tour Edition. We suggest you don’t include the word ‘digital’ here, it’s less exciting than the content itself

Product details

• Talk to all the amazing add-ons you’ve brought into this edition of the record. For example, “This product comes with behind the scenes footage from the making of the record, a track by track commentary recorded in Ian’s home recording studio, and 3 demo tracks recorded in the backseat of Tim’s car when this album was just an idea”

How it works

Explain to fans that to access the record, all they have to do is:

• Tap your phone on the item
• Sign in or sign up to Serenade.co
• Listen and watch now and always

Smart Formats can be sold wherever you like. If you are retailing your Smart Formats where fans can touch them, make sure you order items like the Mini CD where there is a preventive foil layer on top of the chip to stop fans claiming the digital experience without first buying the product.

Smart Formats are the first physical music formats that can be sold on the road before music is released. Unlike vinyl, CDs and cassettes where music is physically written into the format, Smart Formats are remotely updatable and you can drop music, videos and photos to fans as early or late in a campaign as you like. From a chart point of view, sales made before an album is released are banked until the music is released, upon which time fans get access to the music, and these album units are considered sold.

You receive the name, email address and location of every fan who ‘taps’ your Smart Formats and gives GDPR-compliant marketing permissions.

You have absolute control over your product pricing. The only restriction we share is that for Smart Formats to be chart eligible in the UK and Ireland, the OCC has advised a minimum PPD (dealer price) price of £6.00. PPD excludes VAT and retail mark up - and all pricing has to be cleared by the OCC at [email protected].

We’re seeing artists across the age and genre spectrum purchase Smart Formats, and fans to match. Older fans love the opportunity to buy music in a new way (especially when high definition audio downloads are included), while young fans love the fact that Smart Formats present music as a collectible merch item (just like vinyl).

Serenade maintains a licence with PRS that covers digital downloads and audio streaming.

Serenade works with a network of manufacturers around the UK, EU and Asia to manufacture each Smart Format custom to its design and cost requirements. We are also continually adding new manufacturers so if you would like to put your hat in the ring please get in touch.

Serenade is committed to promoting environmental sustainability and eradicating modern slavery within our operations and supply chain. We minimise our environmental impact by implementing eco-friendly practices, reducing waste, and utilising sustainable materials. Further, we are resolute in combating modern slavery, demanding transparency and fairness from our suppliers and conducting rigorous audits to ensure our supply chain is free from forced labour, exploitation, and unethical practices.

No, Serenade is accessed via web URL only. We wanted it to be as easy as possible for your fans to access their music and bonus content without having to download yet another app.