Blog post 9: My Website and Social Media Pages

I have been inspired by the online presence of artists such as Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Khalid (who is signed to Sony Records - gives me an insight into what Sony's artists bran image is portrayed). When looking at their websites and social media pages, I was engaged by the interactive interface, variety and abundance of content, and the clear branding through colour, fonts and imagery.

I can see how they have used codes and conventions of pop artists websites effectively. They all have a consistent colour scheme and use a recurring font, they all have moving pictures and videos to create an interactive element, and their platforms are all digitally converged to encourage audiences to view all their digital platforms.

Website Research

Codes and Conventions:

Website menu bar and embedded social medias:

Industry details, conventions and contact:

Detailed Analysis of a Website   
     
Detailed analysis of Khalid's website and social media presence and how they are formulated to form a constant cross-platform brand image, synergised online presence and attract traffic onto his website and social media platforms. Shows how important it is in creating a star image and making sure it is properly conveyed to the audience. The push to sell merch and tour tickets is relevant as it means they will become an asset to the record label and also increase their own profits. The brand image is extremely important for brands trying to sell content that relates to the artist

What you first see when you open the website

Analysis of website as a whole:

Khalid's Social Media:

This research showed me the conventions of a website within the pop genre. The main take away is that there should be a push to sell  tour tickets and merch across all platforms, that you have to sell the brand and that the branding has to be constant across platforms. My website needs to engage, inform and be interactive. I need additional content to sell the artist and keep fans engaged. 

Other influences/thing I noticed from research:

Selena does interactivity really well on her website in order to create a fan community and to allow fans to feel like they are interacting with her.

 On the menu bar there is a section called Community and it takes you to a forum. Questions are asked by the 'artist' and fans answer them. The questions relate to her new music and makes her star persona come off as an artist that cares about her fans.

She also has a email update which fans can sign up to. Allows them to get exclusive, constantly updated news about the artist and so makes them feel like they are part of an exclusive community.

She also uses the fan base name 'Selenator' and a call to action to sign up. Fan base name creates a community and makes fans feel involved.

The website also has photos that fans can use on their social media. Promotes the community and star and also makes the artist and music become part of the fans identity.

I looked at a range of pop artist websites when completing my research in order to understand conventions as well as see which parts I liked and I could use in my own website:

I liked the synergy on Taylor Swift's website. It promotes the album through repetitive use of the cover. Her branding changes as album changes so the repetitive branding is important to make it distinct.

Decided on a scroll website as conventional and easy to navigate.

I liked the instant reference to the music video on Ed Sheeran's website which is used to direct traffic to the music video. I liked Ariana Grande's interface which is in strips and cover the whole page. Also means the sections are clearly defined. I liked the layout of merch on Rex Orange County's website.

I liked how Shawn Menedes's website had a huge push to sell music, which is conventional.

Planning

My social media and website all need to be digitally converged and I want a consistent bran image.

For this need to use similar images, fonts and colour scheme across the website. I will use my album cover across all platforms to promote it and to create synergy.

Audiences want:

-a sense of community

- to buy artist related items

- share content

- find out more about the star

- win stuff

- feel close to the artist
- sponsorship
-charity partnership

I will included extra audio-visual content such as a BTS (behind the scenes) video from making of video. I will include this in order to keep fans engaged.

Ideas for extra audio-visual content:

- photos of me in my merch
Artists wearing their own merch:

- an interview

- song association with ELLE
- buzzfeed- two countries snacks taste test

- competition that engages people on Instagram- by using hashtag and getting them to post about artist or related content

- information about easter eggs in the video

- sponsorship 

- social media 

- dance tutorial

- interactive
- news
- BTS

I will do a video of Song Association to entertain and make audience feel they know the artist in a laid back environment. Also gives fans small snippets from the artists life. Conventional for artists to do this to promote new songs.

Behind the scenes video gives fan extra, elusive content from the music video. Generally put to the same music as the music video. Gives audience feel of exclusivity and makes them feel like they are close to the star- seeing the real them. 

 Inspired by the Ariana Grande 'Thank You Next' behind the scenes, which gives insight into the production of the music video, message behind the video and off camera moments of the star where she is seen 'being herself'.

I want images of me wearing my merch. I want my merch to be yellow to promote my brand as someone that is compassionate and promotes charities. Yellow because of #HelloYellow campaign by YoungMinds UK.

I will have Headspace as a sponsor as they are an app focused on mental well being focused on medidtaion. Goes hand in hand with my artists charity partnership. Meditation is also becoming a lot more popular again in the younger generations as people become more stress.

I will create a constant theme on my website in order to create a constant brand image. I will use my single cover as inspiration for font, colour and imagery. I want to push my music and so using this font, imagery and colours across my website I will be promoting my single when they are on my website, in an effort to sell music.

My album cover

So I will use lots of black and white on both pages of my website to create synergy. I will use imagery of the stars, repeated use of the album cover and use of the image from my album cover as my main page background. I will also use lots of yellow and red/ pink, like that used in the stars. I like the drawn on effect of the stars and will use this effect on other images on my website.

My website plan:

What I want to include:

• scrolling website - inspired by Khalid and Taylor Swift
• lots of extra audio-visual content
• clear link to social media platforms
• clear brand image,star identity and ethos
• push to buy merch - calls to action
• have a fan base name - inspired by Selena Gomez
• interactivity, such as comment section - Selena Gomez

Interface:

• in strips - Ariana Grande
• main colour scheme is black and white- yellow and red re occurring throughout
• lots of images of artist - create star identitiy
• use album font and one other throughout
• interactive

My flat plan:

I created a flat plan mock up using existing features from existing pop artist's websites:

• links to social media
• Menu Bar for easy navigation
• menu bar follows you down page

• large image of artist -single cover, with name of artist -strong identity and establishes artist

• push to buy music
• repeated album cover

• music video - Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes - instant big push to watch video and buy music

• News page - fans feel informed and engaged
• keep up to date with artist
• could have : meet ups, nominations, projects, collaborations etc

• Merch shop
• in blocks
• when click on merch it expands
• merch related to artist - promotes artist and makes fans feel connected
• certain percent profit goes towards charity

• Tour
• touring UK- UK artist
• free download of single with tour purchase
• vip tickets
• link to ticket seller website

• sign up to newsletter- fans get instant news
• community

• link again to social media - cross platform convergence
• Industry context -Sony music copy write

My linked second page:

An About page, which  will contain extra audio-visual content and my Instagram social media stream. I want a community section and bio for my artist- start with this as especially relevant to about title. 

• name of artist - strong brand identity
• social media link -convergence
• link back to homepage- easy access 

• Bio
• learn more about artist
• informed and engaged
• make the artist into a real person - down to earth brand image

• main lyrics of song going across page to tie in my song on the second page

• video - interview 
• learn more about the artist
• intertextuality with well-known commercial platform e.g Vogue or ELLE... - big brands show my artist is respectable established
• fans can get to know my persona in more detail

• presents artist as caring
• inform audience
• link to merch - push to buy

• images of my artist in his own merch
• present merch in interesting way
• push for people to buy the merch

• videos - BTS, Song Association with ELLE and Buzzfeed taste test video
• allows fans to see my artist in a natural environment ,being themselves- fans feel connected
• exclusive content

• Instagram feed - directs traffic to social media
• has exclusive, unseen photos and footage.      

• partnership with Headspace
• exclusive promo code for deals when buying the app
• information about the app and link to app website

• video -dance tutorial by Oli Orsen - Hand Jive from Grease Prom scene
• fans go back and watch and dance along
• fans are engaged and learn something new
• something that they show off to friends etc.
• feel connected to artist

• easter egg- the hand jive
• have video showing my version and original from Grease

• Competition- post on Instagram with #orsoner and all the intertextual references you can see in the video
• encourages fans to go back and re-watch the video
• get fans to act as prosumers, they promote your content
• shared hashtag creates community
• Fan base name encourages community

• link to social media
• industry context - song copywrite

Social Media:

Want to include:

• twitter 
• Instagram
• synergised content through imagery, content and 
• link to website in bio
• promoting the album, tour and merch
• make personalised to artist- show artists personality through use of Gifs on twitter and more personal images on instagram
• preview into projects
• same handle on both platforms
• converged and synergised

Overall this has helped me figure out the codes and conventions for pop artists websites and social media pages. My research has given me ideas for content and made me realise how important it is to sell the artist not just promote merch. The way to do this is use fonts, images and colours to suggest certain things about the artists personality and use this across all platforms to create a synergised, converged brand that appeals to out given target audience. I want to direct traffic to my website and social media and include additional audio-visual content so that fans are engaged, informed and buy into the artist's brand.