Billboard Magazine in Brazil recently became the first music magazine that actually plays music, thanks to the addition of near-field communication (NFC) stickers to the inside of the magazine’s cover. The stickers activate a web page featuring the music contained in the issue of the magazine. The songs then play via the user’s smartphone, with no QR codes or Bluetooth required.
The target audience for this campaign was Brazilian youths with access to smartphones. The technology debuted in Billboard Magazine’s 2014 Lollapalooza special edition, and subsequent special editions have also featured the same NFC technology.
All copies of Billboard Magazine featuring the NFC stickers have been sold.