Website research

We researched the different artist's websites so that we could gain inspiration for our own website and digipak. by finding out its codes and cnventions. which we did with the help of such

websites such as myinkblog.org and designshack.co.uk we were able to research successful conventions of band websites. The particular articles I look at, ‘Elements of a Great Band Website’ and ‘5 Reasons Band Websites Suck’ break down specific elements of a websites and explain the good and bad parts. There are many features which aid in creating a successful band website.

Elements of a Band Homepage –

– Photo of artist. The most important and probably most obvious feature to include is a picture of the band with member information. The majority of fans are not just interested in the music, but are interested in the individuals who make up the group. Including this feature is a priority not only for the fans but because it can feed the design of the website.

– Appropriate style. The band website needs to match the personality and attitude of the band; if the artist is a country singer a webpage plastered with black elements is not appropriate. The time invested in the design of the website is worthless if the design doesn’t embody the essence and feel of the band. The website needs to be simple so not to take attention away from the band and it needs to be user friendly so the consumer can navigate their way easily through all the information on the site without breaking from the tone of the band. Fallout Boy’s website (http://www.falloutboyrock.com) is successful in showcasing the talent and allowing the band to connect with their fans; the Q&A section provides a platform where the band and the fans may interact which is a great personalisation technique.

– Showcase music. The purpose of the band website is to showcase their music and offer fans the chance to explore the bands work. However not everybody visiting the website may have heard the bands music before so having a well designed playlist can draw new listeners and help to gain new fans. The playlist should not start automatically, this can be annoying if the visitor is not expecting music to begin playing, listening to the playlist should be optional for the visitor and could possibly be placed on a different page.

– Tour Information and Current News. If the band is not currently touring and are in the studio recording tracks instead, it is still vital to provide fans with as much up to date information as possible. Fans will want to know more about the band and their lifestyle, not just the music. Occasionally band members don’t intend to maintain the website or don’t know how to update it. In this scenario it is a good idea for the band to include a live feed from their preferred social networking site (e.g. Facebook or Twitter). This enables the band to connect with fans without having to actually edit the website. Keeping fans up to date with events is important, many websites include a calendar displaying important dates ranging from tour dates to less significant events such as ‘day in the studio’ or ‘interview with Radio 1’.

– Un-cluttered Homepage. It’s important for the website to be user friendly and simple to read so that all fans can have easy access to the bands information. MySpace was once the main promotional tool for a band on the internet and the pages were usually full of ‘widgets’ and different adverts and links all over the page, usually in different fonts and colours which makes it aesthetically look very messy. Some websites nowadays still suffer from ‘MySpace Syndrome’, these are websites which contain many of the same features as MySpace, so the pages are difficult to read. Music players, tour pages, adverts for new albums and a discography page should all still follow the same theme.

– Homepage style. The homepage should follow the tone of the band; rock bands will ideally be black or dark coloured rather than white and minimalistic. People such as Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson who are environmentally friendly will not have a black homepage with flame effects on hyperlinks.

– Not Dependant on Flash. From the articles I have judged that there are two main types of band websites. There is a minimalistic, informative and blog-like website which includes simple templates and colour schemes. On the other hand there are ones which depend on gimmicks, flash animations and sounds to make it aesthetically pleasing, such as the Bestival Weekend Festival website. It is complicated and the links are hidden underneath layers of animation and it is difficult to navigate. Although it appears fun and interesting it is highly impractical in finding out information about the festival.

– Merchandise. Fans of the band will be happy to promote their work and will want to feel included in the family of fans. Having a merchandise page allows fans to purchase music, t shirts and accessories related to the band. The page should be easily to use with a clear process to buy an item without being bombarded with adverts.

Generally band websites are of a poor standard and are influenced by the outdated techniques of MySpace. This is not aesthetically pleasing and a more fluent, simple homepage is much more effective. Band websites must provide a large amount of information on their work, lifestyles, and current news but this must be organised so that it is easy to navigate and the viewer does not become overwhelmed.