I went through the websites of 152 Artists in the test tube catalogue to see the different ways artists are utilizing the internet. I was pleased to see a wide variety of looks&feels, as to be expected, but also found some general patterns as to how people are choosing to present themselves.
It is important to have a website, that much can be agreed upon. After that, people vary widely in what they feel belongs and doesn’t belong in a website. It doesn’t seem enough to just Have a website, but if that’s the only thing that is agreed upon…
Let’s check out a couple of different “types” of musician websites and some of the similarities between them.
The MySpace Music page. Streaming music is par for the course, downloadable content can be harder to find. I’ve never been a fan of the MySpace music page because I think it’s too much information for one webpage (you pay the price as the site loads…). One thing that I do like about MySpace music pages is once you’ve traversed one, you’ve traversed them all. Meaning that there is no guessing game when it comes to locating the music.
The Funnel Page. This is the website that has only one page. It features links to relevant social media websites and affiliates. The page functions like a big contact page. There may be some content, but the main focus is directing listeners to other places.
The Sales Department http://www.thesalesdepartment.ca/
Extra content website. I like this idea a lot. Rather than having a website that only duplicates content that is featured elsewhere, I like the idea of extra content only available on the website. Maybe there is an unreleased track section, exclusive videos or photos from live performances.
Last.fm page. I am not too familiar with Last.fm, but I do know a lot of people who use it. From what I have seen, people use Last.fm in conjunction with other pages, for instance, a blog.
The weBlog website. A concentration on writing and possibly news, with links to less temporal content like music and pictures. Starschreck.com falls under this category.
Minimal site. Probably my favorite side of the spectrum for a website. Easy on the eyes. No B.S. Sometimes you can listen to music on them, sometimes you can’t.
Jerome Faria http://www.nothing.scene.org/nny/
Samuel André www.ieva-li.net (nice Random image + grid design!)
The No Website website. I’m sorry but if you are releasing music on the internet, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have a website. Even getting a free blog with a little information and contact information goes a long way.
Anybody want to add a category?
