SoniQR FAQ Frequently asked questions.

Who is behind SoniQR?

Hi there, I'm Carlos, the creative force behind SoniQR. I'm a web developer and app designer with a unique twist in other hobbies like that I turn QR codes into vibrant acrylic art on canvas. Currently, I’m based in the beautiful Canary Islands, Spain. SoniQR is a one-person passion project, built and maintained entirely by me. If you’d like to support its continued growth, you're warmly invited to make a small donation via the PayPal button located in the footer of the website. Every bit of help means the world, thank you in advance!

You can find out more about me on my personal blog that i started way back in the year 2000 at www.cyberholic.es , or find out what i do to pay my rent at my LinkedIn page.

What is Carlos' connection to the netlabel scene?

As a teenager, Carlos began crafting MOD music tracks using Fasttracker II, sparking a passion for digital music. Around the same time, a friend introduced him to the vibrant world of sound creation on the AMIGA computer, an experience that deepened his creative journey into the music and BBS scene of that time. Carlos at the same time also launched a lifestyle magazine called *izain*. Distributed via BBS and even sold by hand on the streets as 3.5" diskettes, *izain* was built using a tool called Neobook offering the first state of the art multimedia e-zine in the BBS world that was dominated by text magazines. The magazine featured scene and lifestyle insights, along with the latest MOD music files and MIDI tracks for readers to explore and enjoy.

What was the reason to bring SoniQR to life?

During a casual supermarket visit, Carlos’ 7-year-old son looked up and asked, “What song is this?” Intrigued, Carlos pulled out his smartphone and used Google Assistant to scan the tune - it was Cake by the Ocean by DNCE.

That innocent moment sparked a bigger question: why do retail spaces constantly loop the same mainstream tracks you hear on the radio, in shopping malls, and everywhere else? Later that night, while lying in bed, the thought lingered. Carlos began to imagine a way to break that cycle: what if public spaces could offer an alternative soundtrack? Music that wasn’t just popular, but fresh, underground, and meaningful. And even better: what if you could download that one song directly onto your smartphone and keep it forever !?

And just like that, the idea was born: a system where shoppers could discover and download music via a simple QR code - connecting them not only to tunes, but to a universe of indie artists and netlabels waiting to be heard.

What are the visions regarding musicians using SoniQR?

The goal is to provide artists with a platform that delivers full transparency regarding how and where their music is being used. Imagine a musician discovering that their tracks are frequently played across South America, yet see most downloads coming from Athens, Greece. With this insight, the artist or their netlabel could strategically reach out to local venues in Athens - opening the door to performances, collaborations, or direct fan engagement in a city where demand is genuinely thriving.

Why should retail set up a tablet with the SoniQR music player?

By embracing this approach, retail spaces can actively support independent artists while cultivating a deeper emotional connection with their customers. Picture a shopper walking into a boutique, instantly captivated by a song playing in the background. With a simple scan, they download the track - preserving that moment, and forever associating it with the unique atmosphere of the store. It’s more than just music; it’s about creating lasting memories through sound, turning a routine visit into a personal experience.

What are the visions regarding netlabels working with SoniQR?

Countless artists around the world feel overwhelmed or excluded by the dominance of major music platforms, unaware that netlabels offer a powerful, grassroots alternative for sharing their work. SoniQR aims to change that - by shining a light on the netlabel movement and making it more accessible to emerging artists.

Through its support for Creative Commons and open distribution, SoniQR empowers musicians to connect with audiences on their own terms. The goal is to inspire thousands of young creators to discover how easy, liberating, and meaningful it can be to work with netlabels—and to help shift the focus toward transparency, collaboration, and artistic freedom.

Why do you use mockup images on the startpage to show how the SoniQR player looks like?

Though it is clear that most of the mockups look shit AF, at the time of this writing this was the only way to visualize the whole project. There were no stores yet that could have been asked to take photos at with the current player beeing shown, but there is hope that this will change soon.

Where do the icons on the song page come from?

The icons for the artist and netlabel social media related profiles, are taken from the "Social Flat Rounded Rects Iconpack" created by Aha-Soft

Do you accept any type of music?

Not really. It sounds harsh, but at the end we want to create a platform where there is a win-win situation for the artists and retail. A good example would be Gabbba music. Imagine going into a store where a song at 260 BPM is being played. Your inner soul would be like "Let's quickly get in, put the shirt on, buy it, and get OUT as quick as possible!" That's not really a positive shopping experience that one would generate or from the clients' point of view, have.

The music must somehow be in connection with the vibes making a client or guest feel comfortable at shopping or while having a service.

Do you alter any id3 tags of the music file?

Unfortunately we have to. There has never been a real standard scheme for id3 tags and some tools have implemented their own. In fact 9 out of 10 mp3 files that are verified to be used with SoniQR, have wrong set id3 tags. This means that SoniQR implements own tags via the Musicbrainz Picard tagging tool into the mp3 file. We do so to avoid to change existing tags by the artist or netlable, and at the same time adapt the music better to the SoniQR database. But as every song is listend and its id3 tags edited manually, it helps a lot if you, as musician or netlabel, provide as much information as possible.

What should the MP3 ID3 specs look like?

You can find detailed information on how Musicbrainz Picard uses their standard tags by visiting this page at their documentation. Furthermore Musicbrainz has set up a website with the tag mapping standard by system or software that you can check out here. Please do not forget that these tags at first glance might seem unimportant, but in terms of marketing: the are! Many players these days show the ID3 information, thus promoting the netlable or important comments.

What ID3 editor do you recommend?

We tried many tools under Linux and Windows but at the end stick to Musicbrainz Picard. This tool allows you to not only use more widely spread tags, abut also add your own
tags to the audio file. The good thing about Musicbrainz Picard is that their tagging solution covers every ID3 version and even different music file formats.

You can get Musicbrainz Picard at this link.

Do you have some example tagger script for Musicbrainz Picard that i can use?

Musicbrainz Picard has a tagging script options where you can run a script with pre-defined tags and commands through your mp3 files. The tagger script that is used with SoniQR can be found below this text. Please be aware that there are many more ID3 tags available but we stick to those to be used with SoniQR. If for whatever reason you think that we should a missing tag, please get in contact with carlos@soniqr.com and we will discuss this.

	
$if($not(%title%),$set(title,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%artist%),$set(artist,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%bpm%),$set(BPM,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%album%),$set(album,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%genre%),$set(genre,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%label%),$set(label,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%license%),$set(license,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%soniqr_date_added%),$set(soniqr_date_added,$datetime(\%Y-\%m-\%d \%H:\%M:\%S)))
$if($not(%soniqr_mood%),$set(soniqr_mood,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%soniqr_social_bc%),$set(soniqr_social_bc,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%soniqr_social_ig%),$set(soniqr_social_ig,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%soniqr_social_sc%),$set(soniqr_social_sc,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%soniqr_url_artist%),$set(soniqr_url_artist,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%soniqr_url_netlabel%),$set(soniqr_url_netlabel,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%soniqr_genre%),$set(soniqr_genre,*** UNSET ***))
$if($not(%soniqr_seconds%),$set(soniqr_seconds,*** UNSET ***))

What music genres does SoniQR use within their database?

The SoniQR genres used within the mp3 files as ID3 tag under soniqrGenre are these:

Band: Acoustic, Alternative, Jazz, Pop, Rock
Beats: Downtempo, Trip-Hop
Breakbeats: Drum and Bass, Jungle
Chill: Chill-Out, Athmo, Experimental
Electronic: Electro, Deep House, House
Hip-Hop: Hip-Hop Vocal, Hip-Hop Instrumental
Jamaica: Dub, Reggae, Roots
Techno: Minimal, Pumping

Why is ther only one House category?

There are a dozen and more of house categories like Tech-House, Detroit-House, Chicago-House etc. but we put in SoniQR they are all throwin into one big "house"-bucket. The reason is that the styles often melt one into the other and for retail or the listeners these differences might not be so clear to differ.

What is the SoniQR social media video teaser creator tool?

That is a simple script create in three days in August 2025. It allows you to start a script in a folder, that creates a mp4 promotional video of a mp3 file at the dimensions of 800x800 pixels. The idea was to create a more or less automated workflow to promote new songs that have been added to SoniQR through that tool, but whilst the development it has been changed so that any netlabel can use it to promote their releases.

Download Script

Why are there no "Top artists" or "Top songs" charts on the website?

While it's almost comical to churn out "top-of-the-top" charts in mere hours, SoniQR was never meant to fuel competition among artists. Its true mission is to introduce listeners to music they might never encounter otherwise—sounds from unexpected corners, even entire genres that may have slipped under the radar.
At its heart, SoniQR offers a musical journey—a celebration of diversity and discovery—not a race to manufacture the next chart-topping sensation. We're not chasing another Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift. We're curating a soundscape that's wide open, rich, and refreshingly unfamiliar.

I made a X song, but you defined it as Y - what's going on?

Many artist might describe their type of music differently than what is is used under with SoniQR. The is because of the fact that music genres are often difficult to be named and put in order, but SoniQR needs a clear specification to select a random song based on its genre or speed.

As example: many songs have been categorized by an artist as "Techno". But as it is a mellow, more chill type of Techno, we put it inside the "Minimal" category. This way a store or public spot can decide by itself if they want more pumping beats or something smooth to be played in the background.

Can i send you my music?

SoniQR would love to get your music, but if possible get in contact with one of the existing netlables as they are more professional and know more about how to handle the legal and distribution situation.

Can i have more details about my songs?

At the current situation (July 2025) there are no more options available. There are ideas on how to present downloads in details and crosslink to other pages, but for this to be tested out in the wild, SoniQR needs more retail stores to be registered with SoniQR.

What do i need for my store, studio or shop to use SoniQR?

You need an internet connection, a tablet with a web browser, loudspeakers and a user account at SoniQR.

How does a wired setup look like?

With iOS only the iPad Air, iPad Mini, and classic iPad still have a standard headphone jack
with a 3.5mm entrance. Nearly all Android tablets have a head phone jack. So you will need:

1. 1x tablet, either iOS or Android
2. 1x 3.5mm jack to jack extension cable to connect your tablet to the loudspeaker system
3. A pair of loudspeakers

How does a wireless setup could look like?

You simply pair your tablet with your PA or bluetooth loudspeaker. In case that your PA does not offer a bluetooth connection, there are cheap adapters that you can plug into the PA to
add Blueooth to the speakers. So you need:

1. 1x tablet with iOS or Android OS
2. 1x Bluetooth 3.5mm jack adapter in case your tablet has no bluetooth
3. A pair of loudspeakers

Can i connect my Spotify, Youtube Music or Soundcloud profile to SoniQR?

SoniQR does not offer this and will never offer this as this would again lead back to the hot-rotation well that we fall in.

Who can create a SoniQR account?

SoniQR is dedicated to people who own some kind of retail store, studio or service. This could be a boutique, streetwear store, skateshop, vinly record store, tattoo studio,
food-trucks, hairdresser and alike.

Is SoniQR free for everyone?

Indeed it is. Users can register and use the website and the player for free. There are no hidden fees somewhere or a so called member area with extra services.

Furthermore SoniQR is not allowed to have these kind of member services, nor is SoniQR allowed to sell, resell or make remixes or alike of the music files. The music used with SoniQR is published under a Creative Commons license. Some license versions would allow us to create a membership area, but other music files strictly forbid this due to their license. And as SoniQR wants to cover all of the music files, the best way is to NOT offer any kind of membership regarding the project. 

Why can't i register as private person?

Because then artists and netlabels would not be able to filter the information gathered with each song played. If billions of people would register with SoniQR *cough* *cough* then artists would be able to see that their song has been downloaded a couple of times at someone's private house, but that would be no reason for the artist or netlabel to plan a tour to that place. Well, they could. But they probably would not.

So offering SoniQR as player for the masses would fake the listening or download numbers per song that everyone can see on the website. By telling us what kind of store or studio you are, each artist can get some detailed information about where and by whom his music is played and downloaded at.

Will there ever be a subscription fee to use SoniQR?

That there will ever be a fee to pay with SoniQR is close to impossible, as most of the music tracks used for this project are published under a Creative Commons Non-Commercial license. This means that there is no way to sell or resell or make direct money by playing the music.

So how do you want to monetize the project?

Due to the CC BY-NC license of some music tracks used within SoniQR, there is no way to monetize the project. I am not allowed sell the music or offer some kind of music player membership like shitify spotify. The only way to get financial outcome is either by PayPal donations to back up the development of the project or asking people to by my music quiz book at www.whichsongamai.com 

Why can't i create my own playlist?

Simply because SoniQR wants to break the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) rules that so many websites and companies work with these days. Because more and more things are optimized to someone's tracked visits, shopping habbits or search queries, people are more and more to close their open mind. SEO kills diversity, because you will always stick to what you know, but for SoniQR it is important to make you examine the unknown.

Creating your own playlist would mean that other artists would not have the chance of being heard. Creating a personal playlist at the end is just another form of personal hot-rotation - and SoniQR hates hot-rotation.

What music options does one have to be adapted to its store?

Currently there are three main types of music filtering that define the music: slow, medium and fast. These three options are not limited by the genre, what means that because it is "slow" that does not mean that you will have only chill-out beats, but also slow acoustic pop songs.

Let's break these three up taking as example a streetwear clothing boutique or similar retail, with the following scheme:

SLOW Use this in the morning, at the first hours of your opening to not scare clients away but have some nice background music.

MEDIUM In the afternoon when more people get into your store, animated them with some medium fast, happy tunes.
FAST Often being Jungle, some faster techno, house music or electronic beats to animate people to go wild on a shopping spree.

There is the idea to offer the music genres some day, so that you can stick to one type of music. But this will only happen when there are at least 500 songs per genre to guarantee some kind of diversity and not make the usage of SoniQR too monotonic.

Chan i change the volume from within the player?

Yes you can. Obviously some tunes might sound louder than others, so to make sure that in case of a bigger difference, you have the ability to change the volume from within the player screen.