Bio information/ Pitch:
This gives fans a chance to learn more about the artist, it also give the media an easier way to research about the artist, which increases the chances of them writing and promoting the artist. A pitch is the foundation of the marketing of the artist. It is sometimes called the Elevator Pitch, or USP (Unique Selling Point) or BIS (Brand Identity Statement). A pitch is more important that ever before nowadays, specially for new upcoming artist. This is because a pitch gives the audience an introduction to the artist and context to understand. Pitch = Verbal business card. The pitch is the artist's differentiator. Its their ability to give people a frame of reference. Their verbal business card. |
Merchandise page:
Merchandise is extremely important for an artist. For many years, the only reason musicians sold merch was because it was a simple way to generate extra income, as the main source of income was their CD sales. However, people now has stopped buying cds, and started downloading music from piracy websites, or streaming it from streaming companies like Spotify or Tidal. And so, because of this, merch income has become extremely crucial for an artist. However, merchandise is way more than money, it has yet again taken a new significance. “It’s about extending an artist’s brand through a global program of different consumer products. It's important to learn from other industries where they have tapped ideas around merchandising being a prominent marketing vehicle and being able to help build your brand,” - Mat Vlasic, CEO of Bravado (merchandising company handling merch solutions for artist like Rolling Stones, Drake, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Prince.) When a fan of the artist wears an artist's merch outside in the public not only advertises the artist, but it also allows the fan to align themselves to be part of a greater subculture and to identify themselves as a fan. Merchandise has become a way for artist to reach out and connect with their biggest fans. |
News:
Artist always have a part on their site where they update their fans about their current projects, like announcing new releases and tours, and links to their media press. It is also a place where they create a more personal connection with their fans, as they sometimes write about what's happening behind the scenes of the public eye. Photos and Videos:
Artists normally have a separate tab for professional pictures or videos. Some also include more personal images, that fans will enjoy to look at. |
Taylor Swift uses for her homepage the iconic image, font and 'TIMES' inspired background as her site background. This is really similar to Taylor's recent album 'reputation', working in synergy and helping it promote it. This image that she used as the banner image is said to represent, the two faces Taylor Swift has; the face she portraits to the media; and her real face. People believe this because of the way the light is set up. It's very dramatic and contrasting, with one side being perfectly lit, bright and clear (representing her real face); and the other side being dark and mysterious (representing the pace she portrays to the media). This believe, of the two faces, works in synergy with the album title and the title of the website 'reputation', and being parallel with the narrative that the lyrics of the album have.
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The website has a very clear navigation. Individual hyperlinks that are clearly labelled under 'News', 'Events', 'Music' and 'Store', makes it plainly obvious where everything is in the website.
The 'Taylor Swift' masthead at the top right makes it clear who's the site is representing, as does the album art in the background. With exception of the iconic font of the album title 'reputation' there is consistent typography all throughout her website. This makes the title of the album stand out, and makes the rest of the site uniform and identical, creating a house-style and connoting unity and professionalism. |
Her music page follows the same functions as the homepage, it has the same generic conventions and same aesthetics and representation.
On top of the page the site shows Taylor Swift's most recent album 'reputation', providing the album art, track list, production company, release date and redirect links to iTunes, Target, Walmart and Taylor Swift Store, reiterating the alternative methods of consumption. As you scroll down the page, the site lists Taylor Swift's discography chronologically, each album art gives access to the viewer to the track list, cover art, hyperlinks to buy the album, etc. of the album they have clicked on. Discography and links to buy albums tend to be aimed at newer fans newer fans who are interested in listening to her older albums. Having the main content of the left and the minor content on the right of the website is very common, and most websites follow this function, due to the Western direction of reading. |
The events page offers a comprehensive list of tour dates presented in a very simple and clear way, with separate columns for the dates, locations and purchase links, preventing confusion and making it easy to navigate. It also offers two different types of tickets to buy: the normal more affordable tickets highlighted in a mustard color, and the VIP tickets which are obviously more expensive highlighted in a burgundy red color. I believe this is a great way to separate the different audiences with different socioeconomic statuses.
The page also provides a redirect link for each date to find tickets from a secure website like ticketmaster.com |