# Your favorite composer website



## JohannesR (Feb 4, 2014)

Hey guys!

I am in the process of making a web site, and need some inspiration and maybe some good ways to structure it. So, what is your favorite composer website and why? I am not thinking only in terms of content, but also design. Thanks a bunch!


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## DKeenum (Feb 4, 2014)

I've always liked Matt's website: http://www.theunfinished.co.uk/


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## TheUnfinished (Feb 4, 2014)

DKeenum @ Tue Feb 04 said:


> I've always liked Matt's website: http://www.theunfinished.co.uk/


That's very kind, but perhaps my composer site - www.mattbowdler.com - which uses a variation on the same theme might be more relevant?


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## DKeenum (Feb 4, 2014)

TheUnfinished @ Tue Feb 04 said:


> DKeenum @ Tue Feb 04 said:
> 
> 
> > I've always liked Matt's website: http://www.theunfinished.co.uk/
> ...


oops, sorry.


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## TheUnfinished (Feb 4, 2014)

DKeenum @ Tue Feb 04 said:


> oops, sorry.


Haha, no worries. Just thought it might be more useful for Johannes.


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## Marius Masalar (Feb 6, 2014)

JohannesR @ Tue Feb 04 said:


> Hey guys!
> 
> I am in the process of making a web site, and need some inspiration and maybe some good ways to structure it. So, what is your favorite composer website and why? I am not thinking only in terms of content, but also design. Thanks a bunch!


In my experience, the inspiration for making your website excellent should not come from what other composers are doing, but from what your clients need from you.

Obviously you need to draw from a bunch of sources to make sure it's trendy, functional, etc. but at the end of the day the website isn't built to make you look cool for other composers, it's to bring you work and serve as a web presence that defines your brand and entices visitors to buy into that. So ask them. Ask your clients what they look for in a composer website.

Find out what they care about. If you can't ask them, then look through your emails: what questions were asked in inquiry emails you received? Answer those on the site. Empower your visitors. 

I've never been a fan of the hard-to-get, bait-and-switch style of design where you're enticing them to email for any important information. No thanks. I designed my site with a simple goal: giving my clients everything they need to know on one page. No following links around to who-knows-where, no hunting for info, no lengthy sermons about what my first piano meant to me. Who has time for that? 

By the time they send me an email I want them to feel confident that I'm a strong candidate and I want them to have a pretty good idea of what I'm like as a person and as a composer. And if I'm not the guy for them, I don't want them to have to waste their time emailing me to find out.

Since the latest re-design of my site, I've seen a huge increase in inquiries, but more importantly I've seen an increase in the proportion of _good_ inquiries. I also do web design, so I'm forever refining and tweaking, but at the end of the day that's the metric I use to determine how successful my site is. If my clients are finding it useful and delightful, then the site is on the right path.

Just some food for thought! Make sure to show us what you end up with when you get it finished


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## germancomponist (Feb 6, 2014)

Mathazzar @ Thu Feb 06 said:


> In my experience, the inspiration for making your website excellent should not come from composers are doing, but from what your clients need from you.



+1

Very good examples of well done websites you also can find here: http://www.warmbutter.com/


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## Nick Batzdorf (Feb 6, 2014)

www.vi-control.net


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## germancomponist (Feb 6, 2014)

Nick Batzdorf @ Thu Feb 06 said:


> www.vi-control.net



LOL, but yes, you are right, Mike! 

The only thing what I miss here is a better search engine.


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## Jdiggity1 (Feb 6, 2014)

Just scroll through themeforest until you find one (or two) that you like


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## Greg (Feb 6, 2014)

My fave: http://joecomposer.com/


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## jleckie (Feb 6, 2014)

germancomponist @ Thu Feb 06 said:


> Mathazzar @ Thu Feb 06 said:
> 
> 
> > In my experience, the inspiration for making your website excellent should not come from composers are doing, but from what your clients need from you.
> ...



Is it just me or are any of you seeing anything special about any of these butter sites?

They all look like squarespace sites anyone could build in a day.


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## Jdiggity1 (Feb 6, 2014)

jleckie @ Fri 07 Feb said:


> germancomponist @ Thu Feb 06 said:
> 
> 
> > Mathazzar @ Thu Feb 06 said:
> ...



Their mantra (according to their website) is "Clean and simple".

_"We don't do Flash. We don't believe in lengthy animated sequences with bells and whistles that distract from the true purpose of most websites: getting the information to the viewer."_

In other words... limited knowledge in web development perhaps?

Some of their sites are nice, get the job done. But a lot do have that outdated 'HTML' feel to it.


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## jleckie (Feb 6, 2014)

Yes I did see their 'mantra'. But still - one can be creative and still have a simple site?


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## Marius Masalar (Feb 6, 2014)

I'd much prefer a Squarespace site to one of those, frankly.

All the ones I looked at were very basic WordPress cores built upon the default TwentyTwelve theme (not even properly with a child theme...)

That being said, they must be great to work with because they seem to have a lot of top composer clientele so who am I to judge. Whatever works for people!


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## pkm (Feb 6, 2014)

As far as I know, he is the same guy who is behind ScoringSessions.com, so its safe to say he has a good personal relationship with many composers.


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## Jdiggity1 (Feb 6, 2014)

Mathazzar @ Fri 07 Feb said:


> All the ones I looked at were very basic WordPress cores built upon the default TwentyTwelve theme (not even properly with a child theme...)



That wouldn't suprise me, since his own personal website is the Twenty Thirteen theme by wp!


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## korgscrew (Feb 7, 2014)

jleckie @ Fri Feb 07 said:


> germancomponist @ Thu Feb 06 said:
> 
> 
> > Mathazzar @ Thu Feb 06 said:
> ...



I emailed them for a quote last year.

Lets say it was over $2000. The operative word being - "Over"


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## mark812 (Feb 7, 2014)

Those Warm Butter sites are really nothing special. There are plenty of better designs on ThemeForest and Mojo Themes. Wordpress rules.


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## Madrigal (Feb 7, 2014)

Those warmbutter websites are really outdated, especially in terms of design. There's a plethora of better options out there. 

If you want your website to be fully customizable, I would advise against Squarespace. Not the best long-term option. 

I still find wordpress to be the best option on the market. ThemeForest is a great place to start!


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## dannthr (Feb 7, 2014)

Richard Jacques - http://richardjacques.com/


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