 |
DDCARDS Frequently Asked Questions
What is all this? Download Cards? I don't understand the concept?DDCARDS make high quality, plastic Download Cards. They look cool, have your custom artwork and info, and have individual download codes printed on each card. You upload your music/digital content to our servers; we host the content and provide an access point for downloading. Your fans buy the cards at live shows, then go online and use the unique download PIN code on their card to access and download your files. It's easy, affordable, and the best way for you to make on-the-spot physical sales of your digital music. How do my fans / customers use this service?Your customers take the DDCARDs you've sold them, go on-line to your mini-website (hosted by us) and use the download codes printed on their cards to access and download your music/digital content. What exactly comes with my DDCARDS package?We make the cards and provide the unique download codes for you. We host up to 500MB of content (your music/digital content). We also host your mini-site (customized by you) where your cardholders go to enter their unique download PIN code to access your content. You can add your own artwork and text info to customize your mini-site. If you would like to have us design your card or mini-site, please contact us for a free quote. How much does this cost?We have great prices! See out price list here. What's the Catch?No catch. To qualify to use DDCARDS, you simply have to be the owner of the content you are uploading (as outlined in our Terms & Conditions). Our customers are mainly people and organizations that create and produce original media content. Independent musicians, filmmakers, designers, photographers, etc, are just some examples of who can all benefit from this powerful, new media, digital download service. How do I get started?Click here to sign up. If you've already done that, click here to log on to set up your new card order and start uploading your content. What's the minimum number of cards I can order?We fill orders for as few as 100 to as many as 10,000 and more - however many you'd like. Of course, we offer price breaks as you order in higher quantities. See our Products & Prices. Can I sell the cards?Yes, these cards are physical merchandise for you...just like T-shirts or CDs. We don't take anything from your final sale. You can sell them, give them away, use them for promo, prop-up the short leg on the table... How much should I sell the cards for?Because this system is so cost-effective, you can sell your digital music at a bargain for your fans. Most groups are selling download cards at around 5 or 6 Euros per album. A fan who likes your band but doesn't want to pay 10 or 15 Euros for a CD just might whip out their wallets for an affordably-priced digital download card. This price is based on the "1 card = 1 album" format. If you have produced cards for a campaign where "1 card = 4 albums", for example, you can adjust your prices accordingly. Of course,, whatever you like is entirely up to you. Do the cards expire over time?By default, all unused download PIN codes are set to deactivate after 2 years from the order date used unless otherwise expressed by you. This default setting is typically more than sufficient for most promotions. If you still have some cards left after two years and need them to stay activated, you can easily extend this time period simply by contacting us. What is my mini-website page?Your mini-website page is the main ¨landing page¨ for your cardholders. It contains a main artist image, overview text, a link back to your homepage and an input box to enter the PIN code found on the back of each DDCARD. After entering the code, the cardholder gains access to the specific download page for that particular card promotion. You can create many different promotions (eg: 1 album = 1 promotion), and make different cards with different designs for each of them, but your mini-website page will always be the same easy download address: www.dd-cards.com/yourband What kind of content can I upload?Anything you like. The beauty of this system is that you can easily and creatively customize what you give your cardholder. We allow MP3 format in any bit rate (typical is 192kbps, but some of our clients go as high as 320kbps), as well as PDF,JPG, WAV,AIFF, WMA, MPG, AVI, ringtones, etc...whatever you like. Each card promotion you run comes with 500MB of space for your content. If you wish to upload any other special media, or need more space, please contact us. Is the website multilingual?Your DDCARDS mini-website and promotion pages can easily be set up to work in two languages: English and/or Spanish (more languages coming soon). When creating text for these pages, you can switch between languages by clicking on the language buttons (flags) at the top right of the page. Input your information and update your changes. If you only use one language and are not interested in a bi-lingual mini-website or promotion pages, simply ignore the flag buttons and your pages will display in your current language. Can I use special symbols in my username or in song names?Unusual characters such as "!*%'´$& etc., are not permitted when naming songs or when creating a username. Use of these types of symbols can potentially generate errors on the server and are best avoided. Can I upload more than one media file at a time?No. For the moment we allow only a single upload at a time. This ensures the highest protection against errors in your upload process and media files. How long is the turn-around time for an order?Typical turn-around time is 10-14 working days from the receipt of artwork and payment for your order. Shipping times may vary depending on where you are located. Rush orders are possible but subject to price increases based on how fast you need your cards. If you need your cards by a specific date, it's best to contact us in advance. Do you ship internationally?Yep. The very nature of downloading means that DDCARDS work anywhere there's an internet connection. So we'll ship it out no problem. Naturally, shipping fees apply. We ship FREE in the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal). What is 'Artwork'?Artwork is different from all the other images you upload on the site (like your mini-website image for example) because your Artwork image is what gets physically printed on your download cards. Therefore we require an especially high quality image for your artwork (300dpi) to ensure the best printing results. Artwork designs in low resolution (72dpi) are undesirable and will look ¨grainy¨ and unclear when printed, although they are completely suitable for displaying on web pages and computer screens. What is 'bleed size'?Bleed size is the 3mm of space that extends beyond the edges of the card. When you are using the full surface of the card for your design (edge to edge printing), it is necessary to make your design ¨bigger¨ than the card itself to ensure that the final printing result has no errors. Can I design the card however I like? Are there restrictions?Yes, you have complete freedom to customize the design of your card. You can have monochrome to full colour printing on one or both sides of the card. The only restriction is that you must include the address of your mini-site (typically www.dd-cards.com/yourband), as well as a space (typically a blank rectangle) where we can print the individual download PIN code numbers. See our Templates for what you need to get started. If you need help with your card design, we also offer design and layout services. Contact us for details. Can you help me to design my card?No problem. If you need design help, we have a graphic design team that can do the work for you if you don't have time or if you're just feeling lazy. Contact us for details. Can you also help me design the mini-site for my promotion?Yes. If you would like us to set up your mini-site redemption page, we can help you. Just contact us for a free quote. Can I track my DDCARDS Downloads Redemptions?Yes. Login to your account and you can see how many people have downloaded your content. Are there any mechanical rights involved in this service?No. Technically, we are only reproducing plastic cards with download codes. Since no actual reproduction of the audio files occurs, mechanical rights do not apply as they would in conventional CD production. Furthermore, we don't actually sell music. We sell a physical card product and a download code to you. You actually sell your music (well...sort of, you're technically only selling a plastic card too). When a fan buys a card, it's just like when they buy a T-shirt or any other merchandise item. You wouldn't report your merchandise to a performing rights organization would you? If you own your own music and digital content (ie: copyright holder), and most songwriters do, then this system gives YOU direct control of a method to distribute and sell your music in a new and innovative way. Does this interfere with any Digital Distribution deals I already have?No. That´s like mixing apples and oranges. Digital Distribution deals aim to spread your music around to as many download portals as they can so that fans can find and buy your music online. In contrast, DDCARDS stores your music in one place (our secure servers), and only allows people with a valid digital download code to access those secure media files. We don´t sell your music on our site, we control the access to it. So when you make Digital Download Cards, (1000 for example), you get 1000 codes (printed on the cards) which allows 1000 accesses to your download content, with each code expiring after 1 use. How many times can a customer use their download code?Each download code is good for a one-time download. After that, the card will expire and not allow access to the content. Can I change (add or remove) the content of my promotion after I've ordered cards?No. Once you have ordered your cards, the content of the promotion is locked. You are not allowed to add or remove files from your download directory. This is rarely an issue since there is an approval / confirmation process before the actual ordering of your cards. Exceptions to this rule are if you have some files that were damaged or incomplete and somehow slipped through the approval process and need to be replaced with functioning ones. Do users have to go to DDCARDS to redeem their cards?Yes, but they go directly to YOUR personalized mini-website and promotion pages, not our main DDCARDS site. This is to ensure the security of your downloads. Can I have users come to my own page to redeem their cards?Currently, no. But we may consider a mini-interface to insert in your own website (like a myspace video) in the future. Do users have to sign up at DDCARDS to access my content?No, we don't require any signup for your fans to download your music. They simply go to your mini-site and enter their unique download PIN code to gain access to your files. We don't collect or sell any user information. You do, however, have the option to collect email addresses from users during the redemption process, but this feature is up to you. If you choose to collect email addresses, you must also keep in mind that you would be subject to Data Protection and Privacy Laws. Login to your account and go to the options page for your promotion to manage this and other settings. Can I collect info on my cardholders?Yes. You can choose to collect email addresses from your cardholders before they download your content. You can select this feature from the main Edit Promotion screen for each promotion. You can make this information optional or mandatory. Remember: By choosing to collect this information from your cardholders, you become subject to applicable Data Protection and Privacy Laws. What if users have questions or need help downloading from DDCARDS?That's what we're here for. Another benefit to using DDCARDS, is the customer support we provide for your cardholders. Each DDCARDS order you make comes with 2 years technical support from the order date. Although there are almost never any problems, it's good to know we're here taking care of it for you, just in case. Do you only print plastic cards?No, in addition to plastic cards (credit card thickness 0.76mil), we also print on paper and on adhesive stickers. I like the concept, but can I do it without ordering cards?Yes, in addition to our card products, we can also provide you with download codes (DDCODES) for a cardless campaign. This can be very useful for promotional mailings. |
 |