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This article was published on October 11, 2016

The UK’s new five pound note has a secret musical trick


Thanks to the United Kingdom’s recently introduced five pound banknote, all Brits will soon have affordable access to a decent record player.

As YouTube user Michael Ridge found out, you can turn the banknote into a music making machine. Combined with the right equipment, it’s possible to play vinyl records with the new money. Because its corners are sharper and more durable than the paper version, it acts like a makeshift record needle.

In the video, the note is used to play an LP version of ABBA’s Money Money Money, which is mostly listenable but sometimes turns into a heavily distorted mess sounding like the Swedish band is possessed by the devil himself. I wouldn’t recommend listening to the set-up for longer than a few seconds.

To make it work, you’ll unfortunately need more than just the note. Outside of the video frame are a contact microphone and a small amplifier to make sure the sound is heard — but that’s not keeping anyone from trying it anyway.

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