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The App That Kinda-Sorta Plays Vinyl Through Your Phone

Vinyl Playing App Digital Promo Kontor Records

As those sitting on the other side of the computer glass might assume, folks in the music business get sent a lot of music. Amongst the various delivery mediums, none is so low as the CD-R — a cheaply made discolored piece of plastic with no keepsake value or intrinsic check-me-out-ness. Vinyl, on the other hand, is pretty much the best, but not everyone has a turntable at their desk (present company excluded).

Well, German dance label Kontor Records has figured out a work-around, sort of. As seen in the demo video above, via Mass Appeal, they’ve developed a marketing solution they’re calling “Back to Vinyl: the Office Turntable.” The physical LP arrives in a mailer that folds out into a 2-D “record player” printed with a QR code. Download the app, line up your phone, and a virtual needle will pop up on your screen hovering over the record.

While the source of the music is all digital, the controls mimic those of an actual turntable and the design is sleek. And as a promotional method, the novelty is a plus — 71 percent of the 900 mailings were activated, which Kontor claims is 64 percent more than they’re used to (presumably in comparison to MP3 downloads or streams, since you can’t track CD-R spins). Still, one wonders if the app requires the presence of the wax at all.