Ministry of Sound trials pre-paid debit card

Ministry of Sound, the lifestyle and music brand, is launching a pre-paid debit card that gives users MP3 downloads and VIP access to its venues.

Ministry of Sound (MoS), the lifestyle and music brand, is launching a pre-paid debit card that gives users MP3 downloads and VIP access to its venues.

The Maestro card is aimed at university students and aims to encourage them to use the cards instead of getting into debt while studying.

It has teamed with Affinity Cards and MasterCard Europe, which owns the Maestro network, to create the card.

The card will be supported by a print campaign that will urge students to “do whatever you want without stacking up debts” and has the strapline, “P(l)ay as you go”. It will also be promoted on MoS-branded music CDs released over Christmas and through a tour of universities.

MoS, which owns a portfolio of nightclubs, is also Europe’s largest independent record label. It also has websites and broadcasts the Web’s biggest dance radio show, with 18 million listeners. Card users will be able to download tracks from the its download site after every ten card transactions and will be given access to VIP areas of MoS nightclubs.

Affinity Cards is the UK’s largest pre-paid card issuer, with card brands including EMAP’s FHM, Bliss! and Magic (MW January 26).

Last week, former NTL marketer Peter Wilcock was confirmed as chief executive of Affinity Cards. Wilcock, previously managing director of operations at NTL, takes over the day to day running of the company from founder Mark Kennedy ahead of expansion plans (MW 26 October).