An insightful guide on how you can build an amazing entertainment or music website for your craft.
Whether you’re an independent artist or you’re planning to start your own record label, or maybe you’re just a website owner looking to host some copyright-free music, you definitely need a top-notch music web design. Aside from the obvious reason which is for functionality for the users, it’s also needed for your SEO.
Being in the entertainment industry, we can’t stress enough that you require your platform to be up to par with recent trends to keep up with what your audience is demanding. Going forwards, we’ve decided to outline the key elements and contents you’ll want to add to your music web design so you can give a captivating browsing experience to your users.
Key Elements of a Good Music Web Design
1. A Bold Header Section
When a user visits a page on your website, the header is usually the only opportunity you have to make a first impression. It doesn’t take long before they scroll down to the actual music content, so you want to make your header as strong and as engaging as possible.
For example, on Musixmatch, the header contains the different main subpages of the website and the log-in button for existing users who want to log in and get back to business. With this layout, even if you didn’t own an account or know they have a robust music community before, now you do, and that can be key to getting more returning visitors.
2. Spacing to Emphasize Content
Simplicity is golden, and that’s what you want for your music web design. Do not underrate using a minimalistic design to make it appear as if all contents stand on their own. You can do this simply by padding, properly spacing, and centering most of your contents. It works best for lyrics platforms as well as music communities.
A good example of this being implemented is on Lil Wayne’s website. Every single element is standing out, and just about all that can be offered by the platform is displayed on a bold step-by-step format. As suggested, this style is optimal for artist and lyrics websites, where you want your visitors to see as much as possible without them necessarily needing to click through multiple pages.
3. Use an Interactive Header
While this can be grouped in with using a bold header, we’ve decided to keep it separate so that our readers can choose one and streamline the appearance of their website. This involves combing a moving element (usually a video or gif) and static texts to the header of your website.
The aim is to use the video to welcome new users and give them a hint of what your music is about – especially if you’re an upcoming artist, or an artist in close relations with the fans.
A clear example we can see is in Black Signal, with a repeating excerpt of their onstage performance coupled with links to where you can get their songs, merch store, etc. Another interesting example is Ariana Grande’s website where she adds a YouTube video of her latest song, documentary, or anything of her content in general.
4. Add a Space for Music Purchase, Upcoming Shows, and Merch
You’d originally believe that this strategy is to help the creator, not the fans visiting the website. However, you’d be surprised how many fans by default believe you’re supposed to have your merch and any other thing of yours they can pay for on your website.
This is the industry standard, and you can see it in pretty much all music websites owned by artists. Don’t take our word for it, check yourself from the examples above.
5. Have a Good Colour Combination
Websites usually do not perform well when the colour palettes aren’t properly coordinated. Yes, you may have visitors come over once a while to interact with the site, but having a good colour combination will determine how long they’ll stay when they find what they’re looking for.
For example, Genius, the lyrics, and music community website use an all-white background, with light yellow edges. They just let the pictures of the post dictate whatever extra colour that you’re going to see. In this case, visitors are more likely to stay longer as each post gets to be emphasized. You can start by going through standard colour templates for music websites, play with it, and see what you get.
Important Pages for Music Web Design
1. Home Page
Even if you’re new to music web designs, this should be a no-brainer. You’ll want your home page to give the best first impression before the user starts to navigate to other sections of the platform. Although you don’t want it to be too clustered, it should contain elements like a short bio, social media links, buttons or profile links to streaming platforms, mailing list sign up, and a snippet of your most recent works.
2. A Link to an About Section/Page
Whether you’re running a download or streaming platform, a lyrics website, or an artist’s website, you really want to make sure there’s a decent “About Section” for anyone looking to follow the story of the brand. Unlike other web designs, you shouldn’t leave the button that takes users to this page resting in the footer, especially for an artist’s website. Most fans want to know the story of their celebrity, you’ll want the page to be in front of them as soon as the site loads up.
3. Sections for Snippet and Display of Projects or releases
This is a compulsory addition for an artist website. For one, most people who visit an artist’s website do so to check out their latest work that may not yet be available in all streaming platforms. If you’re hosting on a platform that doesn’t afford you much space to put videos, you’ll want to consider uploading to YouTube, then embedding the YouTube Video on the Website.
Final Take
Always remember to keep it fresh and simple. If you get short of inspiration, you can always go through any of the top-level music websites we’ve used as an example above. Also, if you’re a newbie, explore industry standard website templates to make your journey faster.
We’ve written this article to provide a holistic guide for web designers and artists who update their sites themselves. It doesn’t matter if you’re a newbie in music web design or a veteran, these elements, and contents are a great way to start developing any music website.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a good music or entertainment website?
A bold, engaging header, clean spacing, a clear space for music, shows and merch, good colour, and easy access to your latest work.
What pages should a music website have?
A homepage with a snippet of your work, a visible About section, and a section showcasing your latest projects or releases.
Do I need a website as an independent artist in Nigeria?
Yes. It gives you a home base you own, helps SEO and discovery, and lets fans stream, buy merch and follow your story without relying only on social platforms.
How do I sell merch and music on my website?
Add an online store with a payment gateway like Paystack or Flutterwave so fans can buy merch, tickets and music directly.
How do I add my music videos to my website?
If your host limits video space, upload to YouTube and embed the videos on your site for fast, reliable playback.
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