--- title: Tattoo of Soundwave Can Plays Back Recorded Audio File description: In case you missed it, tattoos of sound waves that actually play back recorded audio are now a type of ink that you can get. canonical: https://time.com/4781519/tattoo-plays-audio/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-16T21:49:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:43:41.810Z og:title: You Can Now Get a Tattoo That Plays Back Recorded Audio og:description: Your favorite song can now be permanent ink og:url: https://time.com/4781519/tattoo-plays-audio/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt70f499567063c852/6988cd8a97cdffca586b0bad/tattoos-play-audio.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: A tattoo artist preparing to tattoo a man's bare arm, close-up og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: You Can Now Get a Tattoo That Plays Back Recorded Audio twitter:description: Your favorite song can now be permanent ink twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt70f499567063c852/6988cd8a97cdffca586b0bad/tattoos-play-audio.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # You Can Now Get a Tattoo That Actually Plays Back Your Pre-Recorded Audio > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang May 16, 2017 9:49 PM UTC  Halfdark—Getty Images/fStop  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang May 16, 2017 9:49 PM UTC [Tattoos](http://time.com/4725634/tattoo-ink-dangerous/) can often carry a sentimental or personal significance — one only needs to look at the multiplicity of “Mom” tattoos or[ Justin Bieber’s face ink](http://time.com/4322795/justin-bieber-face-tattoo-reason/) as proof. However, if you’re looking to get a tattoo that goes to the next level, consider the audio tattoo, which is exactly what it sounds like — ink that actually plays back sound. L.A.-based company Skin Motion is working on an app that allows you to record or upload an audio clip that will then make an audio file design. After the [sound wave](http://science.time.com/2014/01/03/watch-scientists-suspend-objects-in-midair-with-sound-waves/) design is made, users can get it tattooed on their bodies by a tattoo artist; once healed, it can be scanned and played back on the app. While Skin Motion suggests using the app to memorialize the voice of a deceased loved one, you can also get your favorite song or phrase, or in the case of this happy customer, the sound of your dog howling. 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