Skyris was a music tech startup I co-founded with two friends during my time as a music producer.
It was a way to connect music with physical objects, replacing the tangibility of records in the digital age. For example, you could buy an art piece with a unique code that would give you access to a digital experience featuring the artist's new single, along with things like artist commentary, alternate versions, behind-the-scenes footage, etc...
Like many things, it didn't quite work out. But this project launched my deeper dive into what it meant to be a designer. And I proudly keep it on my list of educational failures.
THIS IS HOW IT WORKED
Someone would buy a physical Skyris-enabled art piece. We called these Skyprints. These were visual art pieces, held inside an elegant black sleeve. Inside was a code that would unlock access to a digital experience.
SKYPRINT UNBOXING VIDEO
I kept a sealed Skyprint box, which I opened years later. Here is an unboxing video that shows what it looked like.
THE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE
On the back of every Skyprint was a unique code you would enter on the Skyris website. This would register you as the owner of the print, and give you access to a digital world created by the musician that augmented the song.
This world could include photographs of things that inspired the music, or related to its creation. For example, you might see a video of the artist talking about the song and what it meant to them, handwritten lyrics, or alternate versions. In this way, artists could add layers of meaning to their music, helping people connect with it more deeply.
PROMO VIDEO
A video we released when we opened the call for beta users.
