Task Two- Analysis of Music Websites

Codes and Conventions found-

• Social Media links- Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc
• YouTube videos embedded from VEVO channel (especially mainstream genre)
• Albums/newest releases centrally placed on the site
• 4 Major music site/streaming service links (Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon)
• Two tone colour scheme used- often black and white for modern look
• Navigation Bar- Home. Shows, News, Music, Video (Larger Artists may have a merchandise store)
• Use of Hashtags on the home screen to promote new albums
• Sign In/Sign Up options for fans to receive newsletters
• Symmetrical structure
• Artist Logo/album font used throughout the page
• Record company copyrights
• Two part home page e.g. an advertisement to close and then the default page
• Slide show style for image variation or presenting the elements of site

Learning Comment

After completing the task, I now have a knowledge of the composition of webpages for music artists. I have noticed that their are a set amount of conventions used on a site such as social media links for users to explore further into the artists music or personal pages. The music itself is usually pivotal to the home page, with iTunes and Spotify the main sources of advertisement, alongside the store which sells the album. The varying style of sites often depend on the genre. For example, mainstream artists try to promote their bands image a lot more than alternative genres such as indie which seems to place a focus on the bands music more. The sites contain special features to keep each one engaging or offer further reading for those interested like Hashtags and moving images. There is a clear brand identity through the pages, with consistent colour schemes to the album covers etc, so recognition of these artists are simpler, increasing the likelihood of buying the product. My research has also helped me reach the conclusion that 'less is more'. Little text or columns of information are used on the homepage as it is not needed. There is slightly more information under specific pages such as news but the websites are hardly a wikipedia page. The purpose of the websites are to engage audiences, hence the variety displayed, so artists are shown as unique or with individuality.