How to Make a QR Code for a Song
Using QR codes for songs is a great way to quickly and conveniently distribute your music to an audience. Of course, if you are an expert in music but not so much in tech or marketing, you might not understand how to use QR codes for songs. Not to worry! It’s quite easy to use this technology for your needs, and we’ll explain the process in detail below.
What Kind of QR Codes Should I Use for a Song?
The first thing to understand in this process is that there are different kinds of information that you can attach to QR codes. Knowing the various options for QR codes will help you decide which are best for your needs as a musician trying to distribute your work to the world.
- URL codes. If you have a website for your music, a QR code is a great way to send people to that website without asking them to remember a web address. URL QR codes for songs are simply codes that are connected to a specific website — the user will be taken to that site as soon as they scan the code. Once the user lands on our site, they’ll be presented with all of your information and hopefully, they’ll become a new fan.
- Social media links. As a musician, you are almost certainly using social media to spread the word about your work. These platforms are a great place to publish music, connect with the audience and other artists, and more. Whether you favor Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or a combination thereof, you can use QR codes to direct your audience to these pages. One useful idea is to print out cards with your QR code and make those available at any shows you play. That will give your audience a simple way to land on your social accounts, and they can follow you if they are interested in learning more.
Location codes. This idea might not be your primary use for QR codes, but it could be helpful to get more people to your shows. If you have a local following on social media and are playing a show in the area, create a location code and share it on your social channels. With that code, your fans can do a quick scan and instantly get directions to where you’ll be playing. This is a more streamlined experience as compared to asking those fans to track down directions on their own. Since codes are so quick and easy to make, you can complete this task and load the new code to your social accounts in just a matter of moments.
How to Make QR Codes for Songs
Making QR codes for your songs is as easy as visiting our Free QR Code Generator and making a few quick selections. When you land on the page for this tool, you’ll first need to pick the type of code you want to create — including the options we discussed above. Then, on the next page, you can add the relevant information for the code, pick your colors, and add a logo. After those steps, your code will be available, and you can save it to your device to share or print later.
Should I Use a QR Code for My Music?
Creating QR codes for music is an excellent piece to add to your overall marketing effort. Just creating these codes alone won’t help people find your music, of course, as they need to be used in places where they will be found and scanned. It’s the convenience of QR codes on the user’s end that makes them so appealing, so think about where you can use them to more effectively spread the word about your music.
A good starting point is creating a code that links to your favorite social media account. Growing a social following is a powerful way for musicians to reach new audiences, but it’s notoriously difficult to gain followers on those competitive platforms. If you have a code handy that takes anyone with a smartphone right to your social account, you will be making it as easy as possible for them to follow you. Once you start to find some success with this first QR code, you can branch out to other types, as necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I attach my music directly to a QR code?
No. QR codes are designed to hold very little information — only up to about 3 KB of data. Needless to say, that’s not nearly enough room to save a song and pass it along to your audience. So, instead of including the music directly in the QR code, you’ll want to use this opportunity to provide your audience with a link to some asset or resource where they can explore your songs, albums, etc.
Will my audience know how to use a QR code to find my music?
QR codes have reached a level of popularity where most smartphone users will understand that the code can be scanned using their camera. Smartphone users of an older generation may not be as familiar with this technology, but the average musician is likely marketing to a younger crowd. As long as you create QR codes for songs that link directly to known platforms like a website or social media channel, you should be able to find good results with this approach.
Are QR codes free to use?
Yes! You can generate QR codes for songs without any charge by using our free QR Code Generator. For the musician who is on a tight budget while trying to get started in the industry, free marketing methods are always welcomed. And, not only can you create QR codes for free but there is no charge associated with having those codes be used. Each code can be scanned as many times as needed without you ever having to pay a penny. If you are tired of running into marketing options that are outside of your budget restrictions, QR codes for songs are a nice opportunity.
Do QR codes have an expiration date?
No — any given QR code will continue to work for as long as you would like to use it. With that said, it’s important to make sure all of your codes remain relevant and link to assets that are current. For example, if you used to use a social media platform that you have decided to move on from, don’t continue to pass out a QR code that links to the old page. You can always create new codes when you need to update your marketing materials.