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Splatcat Records

What Makes a Great Artist Website?

by Pinky Gonzales of Artist Media Group
page 2

MY LIFE - YOUR STORY

Any true fan is going to need all the facts. If you’ve already written a bio for your press kit, use that. If not, this would be a good time to write one.

Who were your influences? What did you want to be as a kid? Where’d you get your first big break? You’ll be amazed at how often a reporter will research your site before doing an interview, so be careful not to embarrass yourself. If the bio is long, navigation providing shortcuts to key career milestones is effective.

As an added touch, invite users to ask questions about the artist’s life on the message boards. (See COMMUNE below)

LISTEN - IT’S ABOUT THE MUSIC, MAN!

Whether you’re streaming clips from a few album cuts or providing full-length downloads, it’s important to show fans what you’re all about. After all, this site wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for your music, right? If there’s one element a musician’s site MUST have, this is it. The music section should contain song and album info, lyrics (if permitted), production credits, links to buy merchandise and any other detail relevant to the recordings you’re posting.

The more content you have on your site, the longer people can hang around to read through it.

TRAVEL - LIFE ON THE ROAD

Just as the News portion should keep fans in the know, the Tour section should be current and accurate. Nothing says, "I don’t pay attention to my own site," like an outdated tour itinerary. I like to include links to venue websites when they are available. Some artists post archives of past shows and tour journals. This can be a little tricky to maintain, but it’s a nice touch.
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