In this era of ubiquitous websites with pages upon pages of content, multimedia, high maintenance costs, and connection and download speeds that never seem to be fast enough to satisfy the public’s surfing hunger, creating and maintaining a website can seem daunting.
Yet, a Web presence is becoming increasingly important for singers, both to help others search for information about them and to make it easier for singers to give opera companies and orchestras the information they need, rather than relying on e-mail attachments and press kits. For a definitive approach to website design and content, even for those who already have a site and might be seeking new ideas, I spoke to artist managers, publicists, website designers, and other experts.
Low-Cost Setup and Maintenance
To calm any fears, costs do not have to be prohibitive. If a designer is out of financial range, consider purchasing software or using free online templates or other reasonably priced online services. “A singer can spend as much as he or she desires—thousands of dollars for a very fancy website—but what’s most important is that the site is professional, easy to navigate, and complete with basic information,” says Janet Jarriel, founder of JEJ Artists.
Among the sites offering templates are WordPress, VoxPage1, Dynamod, Squarespace, iWeb (for Mac users), and Classical Singer’s Singer Websites. “Generally, much of the cost of a website comes in the initial design and creation fees. Because these companies rely on templates to build your website, they eliminate much of the upfront cost and charge only a monthly hosting fee,” says Alex Fletcher, founder of Fletcher Artist Management.
Site Purpose
When considering the potential content to be included on a website, you need to determine your audience. “Many people have failed to think about their audience before setting up a site, so one of the first things I ask a client is ‘Who is going to come to this site and why? Do you have a fan base? Are you trying to get your name out there for agents?’” explains designer Michael Mahoney, owner of Hat Head Studios LLC, whose clients include opera singers.
His response if a singer were to tell him “everybody”? “I wouldn’t take that for an answer, because I don’t think it’s true,” he says. “As a designer, I’ve come to realize that my job is not just to listen to what my clients say and do it. My job is to make them understand what they really need. Part of that is helping them know that it’s not just ‘everybody.’ It is true that people have multiple audiences coming to the site, but you need to prioritize among a finite set of multiple audiences.”
Of course, as your career progresses, those audiences change, so publicist Mindi Rayner of Mindi Rayner—PR for the Arts believes that the site should be modified accordingly. A singer at the beginning of his or her career should use the site to cultivate a fan base while also having it function as an introduction for managers and opera companies. At a higher level, the site is used to maintain the fan base and as a source of information for the press, opera companies, performing arts series, and record companies. For a singer at the top level, and with a recording contract, the site is expanded to keep in touch with fans and list new recordings. “More attributes on a site mean more money, so keep in mind that a singer early in his or her career will have less money available to develop that content,” Rayner says.
Site Design
How a site is designed is nearly as important as the content, and the experts emphasize that your site needs to be straightforward, well presented, professional, organized, and easy to navigate, read, and understand. “Easy to read” refers not only to a font that is comfortable for the eyes, but also to a strong contrast between the font color and background color. For simplicity’s sake, 10 pages are not necessary when, for example, four or five would be sufficient, each for a different element such as repertoire or production photos.
While the average Internet user is accustomed to scrolling, Mahoney warns that “too much scrolling is ridiculous.” He refers to “above the fold” on a website to describe the content that appears on the screen before scrolling begins. “Put something above the fold that’s compelling and makes the viewer want to scroll,” he says.
Addressing whether you should be concerned about the speed of users’ computers to view photos, listen to audio files, and watch video clips, Mahoney advises against designing a site with limited capabilities simply to cater to slower connection speeds. “Design the site you want to have, but do everything you can to make sure that all of
the files are the right size and are as small as they can be, while still achieving the look you want,” he says.
Here is one other point to consider: to make your site appear as unique as possible, in relation to other singers’ websites, Mahoney’s thought-provoking question suggests an approach: “What sets you apart as a singer and makes you stand out from the crowd? Why do people cast you?” In other words, your most compelling qualities should be the starting point of your design.
Site Content
Although there are a few variations among what managers and publicists expect to see on websites, some content is universal: a résumé or biography, upcoming and past engagements, press coverage, photographs (portraits and production photos), audio and video recordings (if possible), and contact information. Singers who choose to list private e-mail addresses need to check and respond to e-mails regularly. Also suggested are competitions, education, and current repertoire with roles listed alphabetically by composer.
Beyond these general categories are some guidelines. Publicist Karen Kriendler Nelson of KKN Enterprises advises that the tabs for categories should remain accessible throughout the site to ensure easy navigation from one page to another, instead of switching back and forth between pages. Soprano and Bel Canto Global Arts Business Manager Amy Stuemky recommends that biographies be made available both in HTML format and as a downloadable PDF (portable document file)—the former to read and the latter to print or e-mail. Similarly, according to Rayner, photographs must be easy to download and should be made available in low resolution for fans and in high resolution for the press.
Rayner also raises a red flag for biographies. “A young singer without reviews from major newspapers should not quote from smaller papers. Quote significant critics from significant papers to ensure your credibility. Using a quote from a more prominent newspaper will most likely be taken more seriously because it is generally assumed that critics for papers in major cities are more experienced reviewers,” she says, while adding, “You could place comments from smaller papers in a section on the site reserved for reviews.” In general, Rayner does not favor using more than one quote from critics in biographies so that journalists who are considering interviews with singers can form their own opinions.
When it comes to audio samples, Jarriel prefers contrast. “I like to hear different languages, one or two arias, and one art song. I also want to hear one sample where the voice has to move in melismatic passages and one legato or more sustained sample. And I am always happy to hear if a singer can sing high pianissimo—it seems everyone can sing high and loud, but how about high, soft, and controlled?” she says. On that note, designer Mark Bell, author of Build a Website for Free, recommends SoundCloud to easily upload audio for free. His general advice, related to other software, is to avoid setting up audio that has no volume control.
Recordings should be professional quality. “If you have only one or two really great recordings, build your site around them and add better media later,” Mahoney says.
Photography: Portraits and Pro-ductions
Like audio and video recordings, photographs should also be professional quality; Mahoney urges you to find the money for a photographer.
There are two potential versions of portraits—serious, with the subject looking at the camera, and candid, with the subject acting more lively and freely and shown from different angles. You should ask your photographer to shoot both, for the sake of variety and interest, according to photographer Roni Griffith. Interestingly, as Jarriel notes, subject placement in the photo also leaves room for possibilities. Intentionally moving the singer to one side or another allows space for text, which is helpful when creating an advertisement or a flyer. However, for certain purposes, like program books, center placement is necessary.
While black-and-white portraits are certainly acceptable, Fort Worth Opera Managing Director Keith Wolfe prefers color production photos. “Color photos can give a better view of the quality of the productions that a singer has been involved in—is it a self-produced, ‘home grown’ production, or does it look like a more professional company? A lot of singers still establishing their careers may do productions with companies I don’t know or self-produce performances. None of that is a bad thing at first, and color photos can give me insight to the quality of work that a singer has done,” he explains.
Permanence Is Not Necessary
When considering design and content, do not trap yourself into thinking that whatever you choose now cannot change in the future. A number of singers have revamped their websites, whether to reflect current trends or to create consistent design between their website and social media sites. In fact, some singers have embarked on a redesign simply because they liked what they saw on someone else’s site and wanted to adapt those ideas. The bottom line is to be open to change.
Keep It Current
What happens if you need to depend on someone else to update your site, and that “someone else” becomes unavailable or difficult to contact? Updates do not happen, and the site becomes outdated. “The freedom of a singer to edit his or her own site’s content is the most important thing, whether by software or online services—or hire a designer who will teach you how to edit,” Mahoney says.
Keeping a website up to date should be among your priorities, especially for unmanaged artists. “I would consider a website that hasn’t been updated in at least a year to be old. The more active a singer is, the more frequently he or she will be able to update it—but, if the last gig you have on the site is more than a year old, you . . . need to find some other way to make the website useful,” Wolfe says.
Steps to Take
In addition to the resources already mentioned, many books about website design are available in bookstores; most designers have their own websites, which can be found through online searches; and designers’ names are usually listed at the bottom of websites, in case you find a site you like.
Michael Mahoney is offering a $100 discount on a package for any singer who contacts him (HatheadStudios.com/contact/) and mentions this article.
