Ben Folds Taps NFC Technology to Power Donations and Awareness for Music Education by Phygitally Upgrading Tour Merch

NASHVILLE, TN / MusicWire / July 21, 2026 — In a compelling fusion of technology, creativity, and purpose, platinum-selling singer-songwriter Ben Folds and his team have turned merchandise into a meaningful driver of social impact for his music education charitable initiative entitled “Keys for Kids.” By transforming T-shirts into NFC-enabled experiences, the move helped spur donations to support access to music education for children in his native state of North Carolina.

Partnering with ZATAP, a Swiss-based technology company that turns physical products into immersive gateways to digital fan experiences, Folds’ team reimagined a line of tour inventory as an interactive touchpoint.

Folds’ manager, Mike Kopp, noted that while Folds values offline, music-first experiences, the project struck the right balance. Kopp emphasized that the initiative successfully encouraged fans to purchase a T-shirt that allocated a portion of sales toward “Keys for Kids” while also raising awareness of its mission. He added that being able to update the fan experience on the go was a platform highlight in order to keep fans informed on the foundation’s latest news and content.

“The potential that ZATAP offers artists who want to get into the charitable realm to create and invest in their own platform is limitless, and has proven that it can be socially impactful,” said Kopp.

Working alongside its merchandise partner Red Star Merchandise, Folds’ team embedded washable NFC tags into T-shirts post-production using heat-transfer technology. These tags allow fans to tap the shirt with their smartphone to unlock exclusive digital content—in this case, a personal video message from Ben Folds about “Keys for Kids.” Fans were able to engage beyond the purchase and optionally contribute additional donations, effectively bridging the gap between artist advocacy and fan action.

Fans quickly embraced both the innovation and the cause. The NFC-enabled T-shirt has been a strong selling item in Ben Folds’ tour merchandise lineup, with fans sharing their response to the activation online. Responses highlighted not only the novelty of the tap-to-unlock feature, but also the added meaning behind the purchase, supporting a cause endorsed by the artist they follow.

“That is such a good idea…and the novelty of the scannable tag would mean that I would be getting everyone to scan my shirt so it would help with awareness and donations,” one fan commented on Instagram.

This initiative offers a blueprint for how artists can elevate merchandise into a platform for impact. By combining physical products with digital storytelling and a clear charitable mission, merch evolves into a vehicle for awareness, engagement, and donations.

For the music industry and beyond, it signals a shift: overstock can be upgraded rather than discounted, fans can be activated rather than passively sold to, and every purchase can carry a purpose aligned with an artist’s values. By aligning innovation with intention, the project demonstrates how upgraded merchandise can unlock new revenue streams while amplifying causes that matter, making it a scalable model for purpose-driven merch.

“Using NFC to transform physical products into ongoing digital experiences helps artists build genuine, lasting connections with their fans. That’s why we created ZATAP,” said Lucas Geisser, Co-Founder and COO of ZATAP.

About “Keys for Kids”

Keys for Kids is a charitable initiative established by Ben Folds in partnership with the North Carolina Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Foundation. Its mission is to provide young people in North Carolina who express an interest in learning piano with access to lessons and instruments at little or no cost. One can donate here and find more information at www.keysforkidsnc.org.

About ZATAP

ZATAP is a technology company that connects physical products to digital experiences using NFC and other tap-based interactions. Through its platform and Phygital Studio, brands and creators can transform everyday items—such as merchandise, packaging, or print—into interactive touchpoints that deliver content, drive engagement, and unlock new revenue opportunities. Platform bonus features include Shop and CRM integrations, surveys and polls, and Apple/Google Wallet notifications. https://zatap.io/

About Ben Folds

Ben Folds is widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of our generation.

The Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter-composer has created an enormous body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and numerous collaborative records.

His latest album features a live orchestral performance of his hits captured just before he stepped down as Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) at the Kennedy Center in DC.

He currently tours as a pop artist, while also performing with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras.

A New York Times Best Selling author, Ben is also working on new compositions for film, tv and theatre.

A long time arts advocate and philanthropist, Ben founded a music education charitable initiative in his native state of North Carolina entitled “Keys for Kids,” which provides funds and keyboards to existing nonprofits that offer free or affordable piano lessons to hundreds of school-age children each year from economically-disadvantaged households. He also advocates for public funding of the arts in schools and communities as a member of Americans For The Arts and the Arts Action Fund.

Support Materials
See the tappable shirt in action here on Instagram or Facebook.
ZATAP Press Kit

Contacts

Ken Weinstein, Publicist
weinstein@bighassle.com

Kendale Rice, PR
kendale@hificreativeconsulting.com

View source version on MusicWire: press release

SOURCE: Hi-Fi Creative Consulting