A new cannabis-focused music distribution service called Hi-Tunes is offering pre-rolled joints that come with QR codes for free music downloads, Complete Music Update reports. The platform is a spinoff of cannabis brand Caviar Gold’s in-house record label.
Scott McKinley, co-founder of the service, said Hi-Tunes gives artists branded cannabis lines to market and if sales do well in their Washington market, the company will release more strains on the artist’s line.
“Music used to sell sheet music, then records and record players, tapes and tape players, CDs and CD players, MP3 players – and now music has nothing to sell,” McKinley said in the report. “We intend to change that by matching music with marijuana. Smoke this, listen to that. It’s a beautiful concept.”
Yoshi Gish, one of the collaborating artists, said he was looking for a new distribution method when he was approached by McKinley in 2016 about the project.
“Records, tapes, and CDs are now so slow and bulky compared to our network, but now a simple scan on a smartphone can connect people with my music,” he said. “I feel cannabis can influence many new avenues of distribution.”
The first line of products is available at Uncle Ike’s in Seattle.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly indicated that Hi-Tunes was founded as a part of cannabis brand Caviar Gold.