No such thing as a dumb one

Questions, answered

Here's what Audiotape is, how a tape gets made, where it plays and what it costs.

The basics

What is Audiotape?
Audiotape makes music video mixtapes. You type an idea, we pick songs that fit it, and you get the official music video for each one, cut to its best minute and rolling right into the next. It takes about five minutes, and it plays on any screen.
What's a music video mixtape?
It's a mixtape you watch. Instead of a playlist, you get official music videos playing one after another with no gaps, all built around one idea, like a decade, an artist or a birthday. It flips to Side B at halfway, and the biggest song comes last, played in full.
How is this different from a music app that mixes my playlist?
Those apps blend songs you've already picked. Audiotape picks the songs from your idea, plays each one's official music video, and plans the order, from a big opener to the biggest song last, played in full. Anyone with the link can play it free, with no app or account.
What can I make a tape about?
You can make one about almost anything you can say in a line, like a decade ("the 90s"), a year ("top hits of 2016"), a genre, a few artists, a holiday, a birthday, a night in, or the music from a show or movie. If your idea could mean more than one thing, we'll ask which you meant before recording.
Are these the real music videos?
Yes. Every song plays its official music video from the artist or their label. When a song has no official video, we use its official visualizer, then an official lyric or audio upload.

Watching

Is watching a tape free?
Yes, always. Anyone with the link can play any tape you make, and every Audiotape Original, for free. You only pay to record a tape.
Where can I watch a tape?
You can watch on any TV, laptop, tablet or phone with a web browser. Tapes look best big, on a TV everyone can see.
How do I play a tape on my TV?
Plug a laptop into the TV with an HDMI cable, cast a Chrome tab to a Chromecast or Google TV, use AirPlay from a Mac, iPhone or iPad, or open the tape's short audiota.pe link in your TV's web browser. Our Play it on your TV page (audiotape.app/tv) walks you through each one.
Do I need an account to watch?
No. Open a tape's link and press play. You need an account to record your own tapes.
Can I skip songs or pick what plays next?
No. A tape plays start to finish, like a real one, and what's next is a surprise. Each song gets added to the track list as it plays. We know it's hard, but trust the tape.
What's Tape Bingo?
It's a game to play while a tape is on. Press Tape Bingo on the tape's cover, or scan the code next to it on the TV, and every phone gets its own card. The squares are things you might see in the videos and facts about the songs on that tape (never their names, so nothing gets spoiled). Tap a square when it happens, and five in a row wins. You can also print a stack of cards, every one different.
Can guests pick songs before the day?
Yes. In your Collection, go to Song requests and make a list. Put its link on your wedding website or invite, and guests can add up to five songs each without an account. You'll see every request tallied up, then record a tape that starts from the favorites.
Can everyone join in from their phones?
Yes. When a tape is playing on a big screen, a code shows up in the corner next to the video. Anyone can go to audiotape.tv on their phone and type it in, or just scan it, and nobody needs an app or an account. From their phones, people can send reactions to the TV, give each song a thumbs up or down, guess what year it came out (and pick up a few facts about it), request songs, play Tape Bingo with new squares opening as songs play (the TV shows who gets Bingo), and vote for Song of the Night when the tape ends. If you're signed in on the TV, sign in on your phone too and it works as a remote, so you can pause or change the volume from the couch. You can also press Remote on the TV and scan it with any phone.
What if a music video gets taken down?
Videos come and go, and that part's out of our hands. When one stops playing, we look for another official upload of the song, or swap in a different song that fits the same spot on your tape.

Making a tape

How long does recording take?
It takes about five minutes to record a C-60. You don't have to wait on the page. We'll email you when it's ready, and it'll be in your Collection.
How long is a tape?
You pick the length. A tape can be a C-30 (30 songs, about half an hour), a C-60 (60 songs, about an hour), a C-90 (90 songs, about an hour and a half) or a C-120 (120 songs on two tapes, about two hours).
Can I get clean or explicit versions?
Yes. Choose Kids, Clean or Explicit under Lyrics before you record, and Clean is the default. A clean tape plays each song's clean video and skips any part of a song with swearing in it. An explicit tape plays a song's official explicit video when there is one, and the regular video when there isn't. Clean works from each song's published lyrics, which can be wrong or missing a word, so now and then a swear can still get through.
Can I make a tape for kids?
Yes. Pick Kids under Lyrics before you record, and say who it's for in your idea, like "A dinosaur birthday party for a 5-year-old". If your idea sounds like it's for kids, we'll ask before we start. A Kids tape leaves out any song with swearing, drinking or drugs anywhere in it, along with music videos that aren't right for kids. There are openings made for kids too, called Bounce House, Piñata, Crayon Drawing and Dino Stomp, and each one comes with the Kids player, which has bright paper colors and crayon scribbles around the videos. Kids mode isn't perfect, though. It checks the words line by line, but published lyrics can miss a word, and the videos are judged by AI from what it knows about them, so it can make mistakes. Skim the tape before the party, and Tape Club members can swap out any song that doesn't feel right.
Can I choose the songs?
We pick them from your idea, so the more you say, the closer it gets ("2000s pop-punk, lots of Paramore"). While it records, you can guess up to three songs you think will make it, and the tape marks the ones you got right. Tape Club members can swap and reorder songs afterward.
Can I name my tape or change how it looks?
Yes, on every tape. Pick a title from our ideas or write your own, choose a cassette color and the short opening animation that plays before Song 1, and add a dedication like "For Sam's 30th". Each opening comes with a player to match, so a Halloween opening gets pumpkin colors around the videos and a wedding opening gets soft cream and gold.

Sharing

Can I share my tape?
Yes. Every tape has its own link. Send it to anyone and they can press play for free, without an account.
What happens to my links if I change my username?
They keep working. If you change it on your Account page, anything you shared under the old one, like your page and your tapes' links, opens under the new one. Your old username stays reserved for you, so nobody else can take it.
Can I follow people?
Yes. Press Follow on anyone's page and their new public tapes show up in your Collection and on the home page, with an email when they share one (at most once a day, and you can turn it off on your Account page). Who you follow is private, and nobody gets told. You can see how many people follow you, but not who, and nobody else sees that number.
Can I trade tapes with a friend?
Yes. Tape Club members can start a trade from their Collection and send a friend the link. Your friend can join with any tape and doesn't need to be a member. You each record a tape for the other, any time that week. Both tapes open as soon as you're both done. If the week runs out first, whichever tape got recorded is sent anyway, as a gift.
What are shared tapes?
They're tapes people made on Audiotape and shared with everyone. Anyone can watch them for free. Tape Club members can remix one into their own Collection, and every remix shows up on the original as part of its family tree.
Who can see my tapes?
You choose for each tape. A private tape is just for you, a link-only tape plays for anyone you send it to, and a public tape sits on your page, where anyone can find it. New tapes start private.
Do tapes expire?
No. Your tapes keep playing for good, even if you cancel a plan.

Paying

How much does it cost?
Watching is free. Recording a single tape starts at $3 for a C-30. Tape Club is $10 a month for 4 tapes, and Tape Club Plus is $17 a month for 8.
Why does recording cost money?
Every tape costs us real money to make. Each time you press REC, we read your idea, pick the songs and find every official music video. So we charge to record a tape, never to watch one.
What happens to my tapes if I cancel?
They stay in your Collection and keep playing. Canceling just means you can't record new ones.
What's a Club Selection?
It's a bonus tape we record for you every month, based on the tapes you make. It's a C-30 on Tape Club and a C-60 on Plus, and it never uses one of your tapes. Turn it on from your Account page any time.
Can I give tapes to a whole guest list?
Yes, with a Gift Pack of 10, 25 or 50 tapes. You write a name and an idea for each guest, we record a C-60 for every one of them, and you hand them out on printed cards, send the links yourself or have us email them. Guests don't need an account. Any spot still empty 90 days after you buy turns into a tape of your own.
Do unused tapes carry over?
Club tapes reset each month, on monthly and yearly plans alike. A single tape you buy never expires.
What do I get by paying yearly?
You get two months free. You still get your tapes each month, and your tapes keep playing if you ever cancel.
Why does a C-120 count as two of my tapes?
A C-120 really is two tapes. Tape 1 plays Sides A and B, and then it ejects so Tape 2 can go in.
Can I get a refund?
If something goes wrong with a tape, email us and we'll look at what happened.

Ask us

Still wondering?

Write to us at hello@audiotape.org.