It was an absolute pleasure to work with my good friend, Jeff Thomas, to help him build not one, but two different websites to showcase his music. Jeff is the only person I know, who is a full-time, working Musician, so having a great website is imperative. His Jeff Thomas Music website focuses on his Rock Music, Live Shows, and the CD’s he has for sale.
Kevin and I built the two websites for Jeff, in about three days time, with a few extra hours thrown in, to tweak the final product. It’s amazing how fast websites can be created when you have a Client who is willing to work with you and who does his share of the project.
In November, Jeff came to meet us in New York, so we could do an Urban Lifestyle Photo Shoot for him. There is always a “method to my madness,” as I had this type of look in mind for his website, before we even planned the photo shoot. Kevin’s photos of Jeff really complement the website design and give it a current vibe.
With his website, Jeff is now able to sell his music worldwide. We have him set up to sell through CDBaby and also through iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon, and more. Customers are also able to preview the music before they purchase and can choose to purchase one mp3 or the entire CD. The website is also a vehicle for Jeff to list upcoming show dates, to build his fan base through his Mailing List, and to keep his friend and fans amused, with his “Stories from the Blog,” which are coming soon.
If you are a Musician or Artist, and want to showcase your work (and hopefully sell it as well) to the World, you really need to invest the time, energy and money into having a unique and creative website designed for you. Your music is different from everyone else’s, so why not have a website that showcases that difference? Places like Facebook, MySpace, or Instagram, are not websites or stores, and will never compete with a custom-designed website. For those people who are happy with mediocrity (or who are always looking for the cheap way out of things), then places like Facebook are perfect for you. For those Artists, who have a unique look, style and sound, a custom-designed website is the only way to go. After all, you want people to come back to your website and listen to and purchase your music, and not just to see how many “friends” you have.
