A book that plays music?

It’s simple really
Scanning a printed QR Code triggers a link to a website
Recently such codes have become familiar to people for health and for marketing purposes
But why don’t we use QR Codes for something interesting, entertaining, and enjoyable?
For instance – to trigger music playlists on Spotify and YouTube
We can place the QR Codes in books, so the printed page can actually play music
And books can also have content to accompany and enhance the music
How might this help artists better monetise their work?
How might this benefit the retailer looking for a competitive edge?

What’s better about playing music from a book?

For the LISTENER

A new way to enjoy an artist’s or a genre’s best music that informs as it entertains, offering a more immersive experience than other formats whilst costing a great deal less than them.

STREAMING MUSIC WORKS WELL BECAUSE

• It’s easy to access because it plays on a mobile phone (unlike other media that need a dedicated player)
• You can listen on-the-go
• It’s available as video as well
• It’s available as original recordings or alternative versions, covers or live performances
• There’s just so much of it freely available
None of the above is the case for vinyl, tape or disc

A BOOK THAT STREAMS MUSIC WORKS BETTER BECAUSE

It really helps you find what you want (even when you don’t know what that is!)
• With an online search-bar you have to already know what you are looking for
• An online algorithm cannot tell you what to listen to better than you can, when shown what’s available.

Each book is focused on an artist or a genre
• The books you choose are packed with music from the decades or artists you want
• Older people can rediscover music they loved when they were starting out
• Younger people are increasingly curious* about the great music from the last century
• And they really need an affordable way to fully experience the music of today

And so it can be a most welcome gift
• It gives people a collection of music they will most likely love
• It’s attractive with full-colour selected pictures and access to more on Instagram
• It’s informative with artist and album bios and access to more on Wikipedia (and others)
• It can give endless pleasure in an affordable package

For the ARTIST or LABEL

A fresh revenue stream for established artists for their back catalogue, and also a new format for new albums that can better engage with and excite fans.

MOST ARTISTS DON’T EARN WELL FROM DIGITAL
• Most earn only a pittance from their share of digital royalties, but they still need to release music this way
• Only a very small number of artists earn well from this source

A BOOK HELPS THEM EARN FROM DIGITAL AS THEY DO FROM VINYL
• Revenue from the sale of a book that activates the streams is like for vinyl
• And every stream from the book can still add to their stats and revenue – not the case with vinyl, tape or disc

OPENING UP A NEW REVENUE STREAM FOR A STRONG BACK-CATALOGUE
• Acts with a strong back catalogue can provide this for the same cost as a single album
• An entirely new revenue stream from fans that cannot afford £hundreds for a multi-album box-set

EARNING MORE FROM NEW ALBUMS
• Each new album can be released in vinyl, tape, disc, digital and now book format as well
• The paper album can include interesting text and illustrations of background on each track, and the playlist for each song can include some outtakes and variations that the artists is planning to release digitally anyway.
• A premium -priced “Artist’s Cut” album can include further exclusive non-released content showing how the music was created, audio from initial takes, video of alternative and live versions, exclusive additional tracks, engaging images and other exclusive materials that can be accessed only through the book.
• Manufactured for the same production cost as vinyl
• Still with all the convenience of streaming.

INDEPENDENCE
Streaming has opened the gates for new artists to circulate their music
These books let them package and monetise these streams

For the RETAILER

The opportunity to be there at the beginning of the introduction of an exciting new technology for playing music that improves on all other formats in a number of ways.

BOOK ALBUMS CAN BE HIGHLY PROFITABLE
• Each Decades series album includes 50 Greatest Hits albums in one 100-page book – worth £1,000
• Each Iconic Albums series album has 16 top albums in one 40-page book – worth £hundreds
• An artist’s Anthology series album can have hundreds of songs in one book – worth £hundreds

NO COPYRIGHT ISSUES:
• The book has no music in it. Music plays via QR Codes that link to our website
• The website has no music on it. Music plays via embedded music video links or links to streaming websites
• Pictures in the book are “creative commons” for commercial use. Sources are acknowledged from the website

READY TO GO
• We are ready to start and can make the best titles available exclusively to you

Tronsteen’s publications

The DECADES series
A set of six to eight paperbacks, one for each decade from the 1960s (possibly the 1950s) through to the 2010s (possibly the 2020s). Each features the 20 biggest songs of the 50 biggest artists of the decade, on Spotify or YouTube. That’s like having a box-set of 50 Greatest Hits albums in one 100-page book

Tap picture to look inside

The ICONIC ALBUMS series
A set of paperbacks, one for each selected artist. Each features their 16 biggest albums in their complete form, on Spotify or YouTube. That’s like having a box-set of their 16 key albums in one 40-page book. I have 50 in mind, but am happy to be commissioned to extend this range

Tap picture to look inside

The COLLECTIONS series
A set of paperbacks, one for each selected theme. Each focuses on a topic, like Christmas songs, Latin, Dance, Soul, Musicals, Festivals etc. on Spotify or YouTube. That’s like having a box-set of tens of albums in one 40-page book

No illustrations yet

Artist’s publications

The ANTHOLOGY
A retelling of an artist’s career focusing on the musical highlights, possibly as illustrated by key alums, singles and performances. The book would be created by the artists in a style that matches their brand, and would comprise text and illustrations, audio and video. Bands with an extensive back-catalogue could find that their anthology stretches over two or even three volumes.
In a sense this can be viewed as the artists own version of an Iconic Albums book I could have produced on their behalf, and as such it is likely that I would not publish an Iconic Albums edition for that artist, as this would compete to some degree with their anthology.
We need a commitment to a certain number of copies, from the artist, their label, or a retailer, to produce this and publish it. There may also be a fee required if the artist wishes to host the supporting webpages, with training or support from us.

The ALBUMS & ARTIST CUT series
For artists with a strong back catalogue this is their opportunity to reissue their main albums one book at a time. So, for instance, a Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” album could be released as a paperback, where the pages in the book refer to each song on the album, with a great deal of new text and illustrations in the book, and rehearsals, outtakes, live versions and possibly good covers from Spotify and YouTube.
This extends to new albums that an artist is working on now or soon and plans to release in the coming months and years, for people who just like to consume music in this focused, guided, rich, portable way.
It is also possible to have an Artist’s Cut edition of old or new albums, that includes a great deal more previously unpublished material in the book and online, that is available exclusively to people with this edition of the book.
We need a commitment to a certain number of copies, from the artist, their label, or a retailer, to produce this and publish it. There may also be a fee required if the artist wishes to host the supporting webpages, with training or support from us.