Website for Bands

 What is the point of a website and homepage?

The use of a website allows the audience to become updated with all the latest content linking their online store and upcoming concerts. Also due to the advances in the internet (technical convergence) it allows people to get updated for free without having them to go out and buy a magazine allowing them to stay current and constantly reach their audience all the time. The use of a homepage allows the audience to straight away understand the first glimpse of the band, illustrating their personality of the band i.e if band taking a selfie conveys how fun and lively they are as people. Normally the only people that are going to visit the bands homepage it will make it seem as if they are talking directly towards you(the fans)

What does a band/artists home page need to have?

A Bands homepage need to replicate the target audience likes using typical conventions to portray this. For Example if a pop band has a website they should use typical conventions of a pop band i.e having a colourful background in order to attract a younger demographic (their target audience). The use of this could be to illustrate how the band is similar with the fans liking similar things.

The website includes forums to allow the fans to interact with each other. There is also dates given towards fans when the concerts are occurring and a store for the souvenirs and merchandise for the band.

1.Who would visit the these websites?  Try to think of the audience’s age gender and interests. 

The contrast between both these bands is that they are both reaching towards two different target audiences.

Alt – J website lay out is seen to be very basic with artistic splats of paint either side of the screen. The use of simple layout allows the audience to focus more towards the centre of the screen of the title plus this follows the ethos of the band being simple and creative. The use of links underneath the title allows the fans to find them on other platforms such as Spotify and twitter. The link help to promote their live events or to gain publicity as they are trying to reach a larger target audience.

ACDC website is seen to be more complicated with more funky art design’s. The use of impressive art works helps to impress the target audience. The website links the fans with any relevant information as it uses Richard Dyer ‘Start theory’ where you have to know everything but nothing of the band making them more of a star. However AC/DC don’t use new media technology to promote the band as they represent the classic.

2.What conventions have they used? Both technical and symbolic?

The website itself can be can be seen as artistic  giving very simplistic options such as buying tickets or releasing dates for their new  tours.

Their album ‘this is all yours’ helps to convey specific ideologies of their band as the album is only visible if you scroll all the way down the screen thus representing Alt J as someone whom is happy with the amount of fans and followers he has. The use of symbolic theme helps to promote the band album cover, which may have a deeper meaning. As their previous album follows a simple yet beautiful colour scheme therefore Alt J uses the same colour scheme, as he knows the target audience would enjoy them.  The use of a light colour scheme helps help’s to convey a simplistic and relaxing type of genre of towards the fans.

The website for AC/DC can be seen as a typical classic rock band website. Illustrating the bands past tours showing the number of attendances they had.

The use of a dark colour scheme helps to convey the bands ethos, being a real rock and roll band. The fact that there isn’t any advertisement of their band album helps to convey that they are so huge and popular that they don’t even need to promote their album.

3.What is the overall message/ideology the site is trying to express?

Alt J is attempting to express that he just enjoys the art of music. That he doesn’t want to be fazed by stardom however he may be construction by the institution in order to target a niche audience. As Alt – J fans enjoy the simplistic yet artistic appeal towards the band album. Asfor AC/DC just have very dark and historic conventions to convey the success of the band.