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You’ve put a lot of work into making your music. Now, it’s time to share what you’ve made with the rest of the world. One of the best ways to do this is to make a website highlighting your music, your merchandise, and any live performances. You can also promote ways for your fans to connect with you through email or social media.
Creating a website should be fun and exciting. That process all starts with inspiration. We’ve pulled together a list of 25 event websites that have caught our eye to inspire you when building your website.
1. Adele
When it comes to websites, sometimes simple is best. Let’s check out singer Adele’s homepage as an example.
Instead of offering a comprehensive menu, the site has only one page. There are easily identifiable icons of platforms where fans can find her music. There are prominent buttons that link externally to merchandise shops and streaming sites.
Toward the bottom of the site is a message from Adele herself. This allows her to speak directly with fans, giving the site a personal touch.
Best for: A site like this works best for artists who want to focus on promoting a limited number of items. If you’re focused on touring and selling one album, this design may work for you.
2. boygenius
When I’m browsing my favorite bands’ sites, I’m often on the prowl for concerts near me, new music, or merchandise. Trio boygenius puts all of these essential items prominently on the site.
The first item rotates, putting their most recent updates prominently under their header image. A few months ago, tour information was the first item on the site. Today, the site features the band’s latest music video right under the fold.
The header image itself is a picture from the band’s latest album. The colors on the page are based on this image, creating a cohesive look.
What we like: The site’s favicon icon is a tooth, a tattoo that all three boygenius members have. You can see these tattoos on each member’s write in the header image.
3. Carly Rae Jepsen
The front image of Carly Rae Jepsen grabs your attention when you first click on the page. There is a carousel of images promoting her new album and then her latest single off the album.
The banner on the website has everything your website might need: her tour dates, her social links, ways to stream or buy her music, and a link to her store.
What we love: The video portion of her site makes the most of animation. If you click on “Video” in the header, a new page loads. A grid of stills from her video slides into view. If you hover over the image, the YouTube playbutton appears. The video itself uses a lightbox effect to appear in a pop-up. This creates seamless transitions between content for viewers.
4. Vagabon
Vagabon’s website dazzles, pulling inspiration from editorial magazines and the high fashion world. The artist stands in the center of the screen in a vibrant red dress, a color that pops over a light blue background. The art on the homepage is the same as on the album she just released, creating a cohesive brand.
Links can be found in a standard navigation menu and in unique triangles on the corner of the site.
The background itself isn’t a still image. It’s a looping video that includes light, moving grain. This subtle motion brings additional life to the site. The grain reminds me of old film movies, increasing Vagabon’s star power.
What we love: Vagabon’s website includes a custom, red cursor. The arrow becomes a red hand when hovered above clickable links.
5. Leith Ross
As a generational cusper, when I think of Gen-Z, I picture effortlessly cool Instagram posts — like the photo dumps that overtook the platform in the past few years. I picture mom jeans, crafts, and nostalgia for the earlier internet.
Leith Ross’ website indicates their music style and aesthetic — which pairs very well with their music and appeals to their Gen-Z audience. Their album cover is an up-scale collage. Pictures throughout the site feature low-fi self-portraits instead of magazine-style photography.
What we love: The website is paired down, but it still has all the critical information needed for fans. The simplicity and do-it-yourself vibe feel authentic to the artist.
6. Omar Apollo
Omar Apollo’s website captures your attention with a photograph of him that takes up the whole page. It’s eye-catching and draws your attention, and then you can click through the tabs at the top for information and the buttons at the bottom to see his social media and connect with him there.
What we like: Omar Apollo’s website makes the most of parallax scrolling. His photo remains in the background, steady as new images appear in the foreground.
7. Florence and the Machine
The website is beautifully designed and fits very well in with the aesthetic of Florence and the Machine. Once you click on the site, more images appear and unravel as you scroll down. This creates an engaging experience for the viewer.
What we like: On Florence’s website, the album tracklist appears in different tarot-card-inspired boxes. The imagery is unique, making me want to click through the site even more.
8. SZA
This is another excellent example of a website with a stunning photo. The art on the home page is the same as the album SZA released recently, creating cohesiveness for the brand behind the singer.
This website includes all the key information a fan might need, between socials, ways to listen, and even a way to sign up for the artist’s newsletter.
What we like: The loading page of the site shows the Morse code for SOS, the title of the album. This creative touch shows attention to detail.
9. Squirrel Flower
While images can grab the reader’s attention, you can also speak directly to your audience through typography. Let’s take a look at Squirrel Flower’s website. Instead of a header image, there’s bold, italicized text which features the name of the artist’s most recent album in all caps. The call-to-action “order” makes the next step clear.
What we like: Images load below the text, sliding in as you scroll down the site. This extra motion means the site has speedy load times and a cutting-edge feel.
10. Mitski
When Mitski’s website loads, it doesn’t start with the header image. The first thing you see is a two-column layout. A stylized image of the artist through broken glass appears on the left. The tracklisting of her latest album appears on the right. To see other links on the site, visitors must scroll up.
This unusual choice breaks expectations. It puts the music front and center. Further, the design forces the user to scroll around in order to learn more.
Pro tip: Simple design choices, from where your page starts to disrupting the standard scroll, can set your site apart from the rest.
11. Big Thief
When the Big Thief website first loads, it seems like there’s no menu. However, once you click the hamburger icon, the image of the band blurs. A menu appears over the image with numbered items, taking inspiration from album track listings. This unique use of links stands out in the web design space.
What we like: The colors for this website are bright and inviting, pairing well with the prominently featured image of the band.
12. Madi Diaz
Website backgrounds don’t need to be solid colors. They provide a great opportunity to use some of the most captivating images of your band. Turn to Madi Diaz for inspiration. Images of Diaz are in the background of every section on the home page.
Further, the site uses parallax scrolling, so the images of Diaz flow seamlessly from one portion of the site to the next.
The tour dates section shows the effect at work, as Diaz’s upcoming performances are listed over a stunning picture of her profile.
What we like: Instead of having a header like other websites we’ve seen, this homepage has all of the important links on the side. This design looks clean and stands out.
13. Maggie Rogers
Similar to the other websites we’ve seen, Maggie Rogers’ website includes a captivating background. What’s different is the site uses video instead of a still image. This gives extra motion to the site. The video also entices visitors to stay longer, at least until the sequence loops.
What we like: A bright orange pop-up appears when the site loads, directing people to Rogers’ mailing list. If you want to increase your subscriber count, one prominent pop-up is a great way to grab people’s attention.
14. Rina Sawayama
Rina Sawayama’s homepage is simple. It features a bright red background and an image of Sawayama used to promote her latest on the right-hand side. To the left, there are buttons with ways to listen to or buy her latest album. There’s also a carousel visitors can scroll through where they can watch her latest videos.
What we like: As you scroll down the page, the image of Sawayama zooms in so she is closer to the visitor.
15. Pink Sweat$
Many artist websites feature high-quality photography. Cartoon-like or drawn art can help your site stand up. Pink Sweat$ uses this tactic in his site’s header. The color scheme of the site is also derived from this image.
As you scroll, a photograph of Pink Sweat$ appears so you can see what he looks like in real life.
What we like: The website features a Pink Sweat$ music video shot with the same pink and teal color palette.
16. Swiss Portrait
This is an entertaining take on the musician website, with a stylized design reminiscent of the early internet. You’ll find the menu once you click the start button. Icons to the band’s social media profile appear as icons in the lower-right corner.
What we like: Each section of the site appears as a pop-up window, leaning into the old Windows theme. The scroll is also chunky, like the old days, showing a commitment to the bit.
17. Mahalia
One of the key strengths of this website is its thoughtful design. The homepage is visually exciting. The first image you see is the album itself, an image of Mahalia with her hand over her eyes in red and black. You then realize that the site background is just a blown-up version of the same image with a slight blur.
While some may find this choice overwhelming, I love it. I’m fully immersed in the album and her most recent release.
What we like: As you scroll, a grid appears with her latest singles. These contrast with the vibrant red image in the background.
18. H.E.R.
H.E.R.’s website shows the perfect balance of still images and motion. The header image is a black-and-white photo of the artist, reminiscent of a high-fashion photoshoot. However, as you scroll, a video appears in the background, along with the tracklisting from her latest release. Even further down, a grid with gifs from her music videos comes into view.
The balance of motion and stillness keeps visitors engaged. Additionally, I never felt visually overwhelmed or distracted.
What we like: When you hover over a gif of her music video, the image turns from black-and-white to full color.
19. Superorganism
The band Superorganism makes music inspired by the early internet and video games. Their website embodies this nostalgia with bright colors and simple navigation. Exploring the site leads to pages that look like old-school forums. The look of the site reflects the band’s brand as a whole.
What we love: There’s an interactive map where the band points out some of their favorite spots to visit around the globe.
20. Chappell Roan
The header image on the site is attention-grabbing, presenting a teal color scheme that has been used across the site. Even the font on the left-hand side features sparkles and stars. This creates a cohesive theme of high glamor or prom.
What we like: The website itself is exciting and fun to click through, providing everything you need to know about this up-and-coming artist.
How to Design Your Music Website
Start with inspiration.
Like the music you create, your website should reflect your personality and style. When thinking about what you would like your website to look like, create a list of elements and designs you would like to see for your band or yourself.
Do you want to lead with text or a carousel of visuals? Do you want to highlight your tour, new merch, or new music? Where do you want your fans to follow you? Looking at these different examples should start turning your creative wheels.
Pick the right software.
Your answers to the questions above will help you pick the right software to host your website. You may have a very specific vision that requires advanced coding skills. Or perhaps you want to go for something simple and are looking for a no-code content management system.
The CMS you choose should match your skill level and your vision. If you’re looking for an easy-to-use, customizable, and free option, explore HubSpot’s CMS.
Select a theme or template.
For some people, this is the most fun part. A template can help you quickly change the look and feel of your site without having to code it from scratch. It will also have layouts and elements specifically suited for band and artists’ websites.
Look for a theme that has:
- Clickable social media links.
- CTAs for listening to your music on every page.
- Ways to buy tickets.
- Ways to follow and connect with the band.
- Multiple areas for location and contact information, including website footer.
- Image and video backgrounds.
These features or add-ons will ensure you can create a custom design with little to no coding, where you can show off your music, tour, and merch.
Customize your design.
The fun part begins once you’ve picked where you will be building your website. To capture your unique brand identity and make the design your own, you’ll want to do the following:
- Add your logo.
- Change the color palette and font to match your branding.
- Replace the stock images with images of your band or your merch.
- Update the placeholder copy.
- Insert social media icons.
- Add personalized forms.
- Customize your navigation menus.
- Change the size, colors, and fonts of buttons.
Once you’ve taken this step, you can see your design come to life.
Add in a store.
A big part of your business is selling your music to your fans. Add a way for people to make purchases. There are ecommerce plug-ins that you can add to streamline selling digital copies of your music and any physical goods you have in stock.
The Best Website Designs to Inspire Yours
Now that you’ve seen some role model websites, it’s time to start building your own. Take pointers from the examples you like, then combine them into something that’s truly your own. We know you’ll want the music to talk for itself, but creating the right website can help you reach new ears.
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