5 Great Musician and Band Websites for Design, Functionality, and Branding
With the current Web 2.0 trend that is pushing design and functionality toward ease-of-use, standardization, and simple integration into social communities, the stand-alone website, especially for musicians, might ever-so-slowly becoming obsolete, or at least somewhat unnecessary. The impact that Facebook Pages, Twitter feeds, ReverbNation, and MySpace Music have had on the music industry is revolutionary, as the industry seems to finally be discovering what active participants in social media have known for some time, that the ROI of community dwarfs that of mere presentation. But with that said, Sharp Dressed Brand still appreciates the stand-alone website in many ways, as a marketing tool, revenue generator, brand builder, and creative outlet for artists, even if they might ultimately be unnecessary in the world of Facebook (which just crossed 50 million users).
Here are five great artist/musician websites worth checking out:
JT’s site is definitely an example of how simplicity is beginning to rule the world of Web 2.0 design, as you can tell that many of the design elements resemble that of The Social Network (otherwise known as Facebook). Timberlake’s site is optimized for content and is packed with web goodies that go beyond the normal pages for music, videos, news, tour, and the like. JT has become an acclaimed musician, actor, fashion designer, and all-around superstar, yet his website is wrapped around a very simple, well-organized, and easily navigable layout, allowing for the content to speak for itself. (And yes, the font is Lucida Grande, which adorns the entire Facebook site).
The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s are primarily known for their version of musical organized chaos, both raucous in delivery and beautiful in substance, and their website reflects that same balance between such confusion and beauty, all while staying true to their East Village roots. Grainy photography fights with large fonts and clashing color palettes, but somehow, it works. The navigation is simple and intuitive, and the layout remains consistent throughout the site, which allows for defined boundaries to be drawn for which chaos may be unleashed without harming the overall user experience. Oh, and the site doesn’t use any Flash as well, so us iPad and iPhone faithful can stay updated with Karen O and the rest of the band on-the-go.
Sharp Dressed Brand has already given the new Princess of Nashville major kudos for her great use of social media to build connections with her fan base, and her website further strengthens her case for dominance of the online space. The site looks amazing, with beautiful photography, fonts, transitions, and the like, and ultimately oozes with cute. My only knock is the flash navigation at the top of the page (I’m slowly joining the Steve Jobs camp in the great “Flash vs HTML5″ debate), but who needs to view Taylor’s site on your iPad or iPhone when you have a million other ways to stay connected with her, as she actively participates in Facebook, Twitter, and all of the other relevant social media platforms. While you’re at it, check out Taylor’s Nxtwork, which acts as a “social hub” for all of her Web 2.0 endeavors.
If you are inspired by retro minimalism, you will love The Raconteurs MS-DOS-esque website. Not only is the site simply two colors (green text and pictures on black background), even the navigation is reminiscent of the nerdy hay-day of early 80′s computing. To browse the site, you have to enter a certain keyboard command (mouses are so 1985). One cool feature is the “Matrix-style” loading of pictures, where a pattern of green squares morphs into a high-res band photo when a mouse scrolls over the image placeholder. Even online, Jack White continues to prove why he’s the coolest person on the planet.
There are few people who love music and life more than Ben Harper, and that passion and love clearly pushes through on his website. The site is clean and simple, using a limited color palette, easy-to-read fonts, and a static navigation bar that doesn’t have to reload between pages. The design allows for the photography to speak for itself, featuring some amazing shots of Ben performing and interacting with his fans. There’s also a very cool flash goodie at the bottom that features links to Harper-related content on the web.
And, just for fun, I’ve included a few of the ridiculous…
You’ve gotta give him some serious respect for being the hippest dude to ever write a song admitting he’s a Loser. Beck’s site is definitely random, but that’s often what makes Beck’s music so much fun, his unpredictability.
M.I.A. – I totally understand where M.I.A. is going with her new record, and the website definitely reflects the album’s music and vibe, but there comes a point where functionality and user experience must be factored into the equation. M.I.A. is always pushing boundaries, but she might have pushed her website’s boundaries over the cliff.
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About SDB
Just as ZZ Top so wisely told us nearly two decades ago, “Every girl’s crazy about a sharp dressed man,” I am just as crazy about a “Sharp Dressed Brand,” specifically those brands who understand the wide world of Web 2.0 and have found new, interesting, and effective ways to leverage these emerging technologies. [more...]