Looking at Websites

A website for an artist is extremely important as it enables people to learn more about the artist and for people who perhaps want to book gigs, or sign them if they are not particularly well known, it allows for access to them and their contact information. Furthermore, the website exhibits what sort of artist they are. For example a band such as Daughter have a very serene looking website with the background of the site slowly changing from a picture of the album cover. 

In this picture,

it is evident that the music would be melancholy and soft sounding, this is due to the plain wall in the background, the newspaper articles stuck on the noticeboard. However, the album cover then juxtaposes this image and is portraying the music to be very individual and unique. Despite its blue tones, which have connotations of sadness, the picture overall is quite unique and almost abstract looking and is almost displaying that it is an escape from the dullness of our usual surroundings (shown in the brown walls).

The picture then shifts to images of the band themselves, carefully portraying the chilled atmosphere linked to them and the fact that instruments are involved portrays the idea of them being an organic act, who write their own songs and make their own music.

I would say the website for daughter does conform to the typical conventions of an artist’s website, but it also goes against these typical conventions. This is displayed in the sense that is has a list of links to contact the band, however this is not obvious, there is simply a button on the side which then displays all of the important contact information. Whereas the most prevalent aspect to the website is the slow presentation of different pictures of the band.

 A website such as that of an artist like Kendrick Lamar juxtaposes this. The website is definitely more about the music than the ideology of the artist, unlike Daughter which I feel is based on the image and feel they give off which is evidently very alternative. The first image shown on the website is a picture of Kendrick Lamar’s new album, which is not dissimilar from that of Daughter, however there is then a chance to buy the album on iTunes, Daughter did not appear to have this option. Perhaps you could argue this suggests that Daughter are not concentrated on the money they make, but rather the quality of their music and their image. Kendrick Lamar evidently takes a lot of care in the quality of his music and his image also, but feels as though this needs to be appreciated through people paying to hear his music. 

Under this is one small picture of Kendrick himself, implying that Kendrick is an organic act and isn’t fussed about his own image, but rather the image of his music and the message his music puts across, which has recently been very political.

The website also added Kendrick Lamar's latest video, which Daughter's website had not done.