An audio player (10) is provided with an image sensor (16) capable of imaging invisible infrared tags (78) on a substrate (70). The tags (78) encode identity data which is directly or indirectly associated in a computer system with one or more audio clips.The audio player (10) can be used to select and play audio clips. It acquires tag identity data via the image sensor (16), transmits it to the computer system, and downloads associated clip(s) for playback via a speaker (22).