Websites

Well, everyone seems to have their own, personal page on the net dedicated to showcasing themselves as a composer.

I've noticed increasing amounts of people posting their pieces on this forum with just links to their site rather than uploading the score here.

I'm not saying I'm opposed to this in any way, just an observation. What are your thoughts on having a website? Do you have one? Do you think it helps in promoting yourself or in some other way? I'm interested to see what people think of the idea. I, personally, don't have my own site, but I'm also wondering if, in the future if I wish to be competitive as a composer, I'll need one. It's an interesting little thought, I think.

Please, discuss!

Michael.

... What are your thoughts on having a website? Do you have one? Do you think it helps in promoting yourself or in some other way? I'm interested to see what people think of the idea. I, personally, don't have my own site, but I'm also wondering if, in the future if I wish to be competitive as a composer, I'll need one. It's an interesting little thought, I think.

It's the 21st-Century.

Get a website. Make it look good and work well. (Now that I mention it, I'm no longer happy with the appearance of my own website...time to re-design!!)

...

A website has become an assumed part of your promotional arsenal. If you want be competitive you need a website...along with business cards, and a permanant phone number.

Whether it's needed to be "competitive", I don't know. I suppose that depends a bit on your musical orientation (e.g. I assume if you're writing music for computer games then the internet would be a very likely channel potential customers would consult - maybe somewhat less in traditional/academic concert music, even though that's probably changing too), where you live (i.e. it may be less needed if you're living in France than if you're living in the US), what social networks you have, and last but not least -how- you present yourself on your website. (I.e. a badly done website might ruin more than it might help.)

I do know plenty of successful composers who do not have a website, so it's definitely no absolute necessity - however most of those composers are of a somewhat elder generation and I assume this may be changing quickly now.

I don't think the purpose of most such websites is primarily to reach completely new people, but rather to give people who are interested in you for some reason a means to inform themselves. If I hear a piece by someone I don't know yet and enjoy it, I might soon forget the name again if I can't make any other connections to it. But if I have an easy way of getting a biography, some work samples, some personal statements etc., I might feel more inclined in looking more deeply into this composer and remembering the name.

I definitely don't have my website in order to "get my name out". I believe there are much more efficient ways of achieving this. I have it as a simple means of telling people "if you want to know more, here's a place where you can look". People ask me all the time "how does your music sound", or "what kind of music do you write" and I really don't know how to answer these questions. The easiest way is just to tell them, "visit my website and you can listen to it".

But as I said, I think just uploading a website for the sake of it without caring much for its presentation and content may not be the best idea. Just as much as providing information on your website may allow people to connect more to your name/music/ideas, it may also repel them. If you create a website, I find it important that it looks somewhat professionally, contains useful information and is (very important!) up to date. An out-of-date website is pretty much useless.

Hi,

In my opinion, website is really important for people to listen to your works. Well, usually academic musicians requires to see scores instead of recordings. However, people cant listen to your work from your score unlike composers with academic background or similar groups do. In that case, music industry or related media needs recordings of your works, not your scores. After sorting out good quality sound, you need to introduce yourself. As it is said, business card, permanent tel number , and website. Other people might have different ideas.

Just one important thing: If you want to promote yourself, DO NOT use social networks as your website. Using social network utilities like myspace and its music player do not represent you as a professional. Have your own website, and make it looks professional. That makes composers professional in the name of promoting theirselves.

All the best,

Hakan

I've got one: Justin Tokke - Home

In this age, it is necessary because people would rather find you with a legitimate site than by, say, just a youtube page or myspace band page.

Every webmaster's dilemma however is how to get traffic to the site itself. That I need to work on too... :-/

Every webmaster's dilemma however is how to get traffic to the site itself. That I need to work on too... :-/

It really depends on what website we're talking about here. For CGEmpire, or YC, or google every hit counts.

But for a personal website, it doesn't matter teh sh!t. I mean there's not a single chance that anyone will land on your website by googling "music", or "mp3", or "composer". None whatsoever! Unless you have traffic of more than 10,000,000 hits per month or something (random number).

A person website serves to 2-3 purposes:

1. Webfolio. Instead of sending CDs and resumes, you send a link (which can and should be updated).

2. Contact information. Instead of a business card, for anyone futher than "in your face".

3. To MAKE more people follow you (a blog for example).

Having a website simply means you care enough to bother and make one on your own, or even better pay to have someone make one for you (the pro choice). This, in turn, means that you are more than 'just a kid around the corner who doens't have $80 per bloody year to pay for webhosting".

It's interesting to hear different people's takes on having a website. Personally, I like Gardener's approach of having a website where, if people are interested in finding out more about you and your music, they can, rather than trying to reach people through it.

I also like Nikolas' idea about it showing a certain dedication and commitment to composing just by having a well-produced, up-to-date website.

Nikolas makes sense.

I hate seeing people that are "unqualified," persay, that have a website. Nothing is worse than seeing unprofessionalalism and student quality everything thrown about a website. That's why many people wait until grad school or beyond to have a website. I know I would never to have an internet persona and call myself a composer with badly rendered GPO mp3s of horrible pieces of music and a psuedo-bio. No thanks.

Nikolas makes sense.

I hate seeing people that are "unqualified," persay, that have a website. Nothing is worse than seeing unprofessionalalism and student quality everything thrown about a website. That's why many people wait until grad school or beyond to have a website. I know I would never to have an internet persona and call myself a composer with badly rendered GPO mp3s of horrible pieces of music and a psuedo-bio. No thanks.

Nah I feel you, even though I prolly fall under what you're talking about. But I tried to attack the presentation as not a "composer," without a bio, etc... Probably makes it less effective, but whatever.

Whether it's needed to be "competitive", I don't know. I suppose that depends a bit on your musical orientation (e.g. I assume if you're writing music for computer games then the internet would be a very likely channel potential customers would consult - maybe somewhat less in traditional/academic concert music, even though that's probably changing too), where you live (i.e. it may be less needed if you're living in France than if you're living in the US), what social networks you have, and last but not least -how- you present yourself on your website. (I.e. a badly done website might ruin more than it might help.)

I do know plenty of successful composers who do not have a website, so it's definitely no absolute necessity - however most of those composers are of a somewhat elder generation and I assume this may be changing quickly now.

I definitely don't have my website in order to "get my name out". I believe there are much more efficient ways of achieving this. I have it as a simple means of telling people "if you want to know more, here's a place where you can look". People ask me all the time "how does your music sound", or "what kind of music do you write" and I really don't know how to answer these questions. The easiest way is just to tell them, "visit my website and you can listen to it".

But as I said, I think just uploading a website for the sake of it without caring much for its presentation and content may not be the best idea. Just as much as providing information on your website may allow people to connect more to your name/music/ideas, it may also repel them. If you create a website, I find it important that it looks somewhat professionally, contains useful information and is (very important!) up to date. An out-of-date website is pretty much useless.

I think Gardener covered most of the bases. I have a website, but I treat it as a portfolio site that I can direct people to who are already interested in my music or want to learn more. It's also an increasingly convenient thing to have on a resume, as long as the site is well-maintained. I maintain a blog first for myself and second for friends and family. I don't expect people who have never heard of me to stumble upon my site. I would like to offer my sheet music for sale on my site, but at this juncture in my career the best thing to do is to hand out my ASCAP registered scores to groups/performers that I admire, enter competitions, and approach performers to ask if I can write a piece specifically for them (often for free).

While so many successful composers do not have a website, I highly recommend creating and maintaining your own. It can be a pain, but I think it's a great skill to have in this world of quickly changing media. Once you have a nice site AND a number of high quality recordings/scores to your name (posted in some form on the site) you could consider spreading word of it to colleagues.

Nah I feel you, even though I prolly fall under what you're talking about. But I tried to attack the presentation as not a "composer," without a bio, etc... Probably makes it less effective, but whatever.

Your website has always struck me as a blog... not someone trying to sell themselves as something they are not.

I know I would never to have an internet persona and call myself a composer with badly rendered GPO mp3s of horrible pieces of music and a psuedo-bio. No thanks.

Well, to be fair, most composer (or any musicians') bios suck anyways and even the more successful/famous musicians often tend to fluff aspects of their bio up to a bizarre degree to "present themselves as something they are not". People write "they've studied with ", just because they sat in during a masterclass for two hours. They write they "also studied philosophy" when they just visited a couple of lectures at the local uni. They write they "got commissions from such notable ensembles as ", when they in fact got a single commission by this ensemble and none other. And they "worked together with conductors such as " if they had to make coffee for them once. And then there follows a huge list of awards and prizes - but why should I be interested in reading that this composer once won a second prize in some competition I've never even heard about? And to top it off, they write the whole bio in third person, containing gems like "one of Germany's most influencial composers of this time", but making it sound like this was written by a different, impartial person. Man, if you do this, at least be brave enough to write the bio in first person…

As a reader of such bios I'd be much more interested in keeping these "facts" to a minimum and instead learning more about the composer's view on his work/"artistic position" in a few sentences. Sure, that's not strictly part of a "biography" - but "biography" in this context generally only means "some info about the composer" anyways.

As a reader of such bios I'd be much more interested in keeping these "facts" to a minimum and instead learning more about the composer's view on his work/"artistic position" in a few sentences. Sure, that's not strictly part of a "biography" - but "biography" in this context generally only means "some info about the composer" anyways.

I actually think that if one would combine all of Gardeners posts in a book, many SHOULD buy it (and I would, to be honest!)

Hail to you, Gardener!

right, with today's technology one can make a trully splendid website, with all that catchy design and interface, etc. However, i agree with YC26 on the professionalism requirement. Don't show off untill you have something worth offering.

I've recently redone my site because I want to test some SEO stuff I've learned, and to see if that stuff (keyword density, specifically) really interferes with readability and use...

Thread necromancy. Read the goddamned rules.