This has been banged around before, but hadn't seen a poll on it.

What do you guys think? Music or no music on photography websites?

Without fail, when clients mention my website, they say they love the music. My only issue is sites that don't provide a means to turn it off.

I am in the process of setting up a new site and it will have music on it.


And a way to turn it off too.

I did web development for a few years and I would always recommend against music but the case for photography is different I think...

I think it is tacky to a regular visitor but a first time visitor usually loves it. I guess at the end of the day most of the people who book you are kind of not likely to be regular visitors... I guess.....?

By regular I don't mean "This guy interested me I'm going back to his site..."

I don't have music on my site by the way but will be adding a slideshow with music... this will be a sublink on the site.


Greg.

Greg.

I had a bride that told me she opens my site daily just to listen the track on my site .
The hard core internet surfer will hate the music, the brides usually loves it.

I personally hate music on sites but I know the prospective bride generally loves it (which the other half convinced me of). As a result, I came up with a compromise when writing the code for the music player: the weddings page has music, but it also remembers whether or not you stopped the music on subsequent visits. That lets people like me turn it off and have it stay off.

Adrian Popescu wrote:
I had a bride that told me she opens my site daily just to listen the track on my site .
The hard core internet surfer will hate the music, the brides usually loves it.

Very well said Adrian. And the site is for our brides, not for hardcore surfers.
So, that's why, both music on my site (flash one) and my blog.

I think music has it's place. I guess I don't really like it on the first page. I hear from clients that they don't mind it and some enjoy it as long as they have a way to turn it off. The other complaint I get is that sometimes the music is turned up on their computers and when they go to visit the site at work everyone in the office knows:-)

I find it as annoying as pop-up windows. If I hit a site that has music, I mute the speakers instantly. If they made software that blocked it, I would be the first one to buy it.

the right music can add SOOOOO much tot he mood and the feeling. The wrong music can be a sites worst enemy.

Choose wisely young grasshopper (not sure why I said that, it just seemed to fit )

Cheers.

I am the (other half) of Ryan. From a females perspective, I love music on wedding sites as

long as it draws you in and is not obnoxious. After listening to several forms of music, classic

piano and violin seem to be the most fitting. Ours is perfect for our site! Amy

I am really divided, I like the addition of music, if it is the right music that compliments the visual aspect. On the other hand, my market area is very rural and I have quite a few clients on dial up access. With this in mind, I don't want to make my site more difficult to use. I am currently testing music on several pages of my site and have not had any negative comments thus far. Although I am not sure how many visitors would take the time to contact me and say - "Hey, drop the music"

WOW, everyone is really divided on this. My site does include music however when I go onto it I mute the tunes. It's strictly for providing a impressionable experience for clients. If this poll was given to brides/portraits clients etc. the chart would look completely different. In the end they pay the bill and not critical photography peers, so the music stays.

~Sam

I instantly aim to turn off music from any site, not just photography sites. If the music won't go, the site gets closed.

Hate it - and especially the terrible music that most people seem to use.

I'm all for music on sites, but there are certain sites that have the auto start off so that its the viewers choices whether they want to hear the music or not. I like having a choice.

In most cases it is very tacky but when done well can greatly enhance the experience.
Slide shows should always have music.

my clients liked it, and its not very intrusive, so it can play in the background for a while without bugging people.

Adrian, your site is cool dude...

I've never been a fan of music on any website... though that probably has to do with the fact that if i'm surfing the web, 99% of the time I'm already listening to my own music. When the site music kicks in it messes with my own music and then i have to search all over to turn off the site music and it drives me crazy. It doesnt help that most people choose awful music for their site...

so i guess thats a "no" from me

the_rebel wrote:
Adrian, your site is cool dude...

Thanks .
Just the other day I had a couple traveling 300km to come and meet me.
They were both musicians (pianists) , and they said they loved the combination of pictures and music on my site, they said is a totally different feeling when you watch some pictures with some music that fit.
And I agree.

gabemc wrote:
the right music can add SOOOOO much tot he mood and the feeling. The wrong music can be a sites worst enemy.

Choose wisely young grasshopper (not sure why I said that, it just seemed to fit )

Cheers.
I don't like it for the home page or traveling through the entire site. I like it for the slide shows. I just put together a Best of 2007 and will be adding music today. Music on the home page that restarts as you hit BACK while browsing drives me crazy. If the music sucks, no matter how good the images, it really taints the whole feel of the site. RE Grasshopper. I'm old enough to remember really digging Cane, bought it on DVD and ... well, the memory was better. My kids thought it was a strange comedy. ha.

Currently visitors have the option of turning the music ON at my site. The default loaded is off. That way a potential client surfing at work isn't going to get "busted" because of the music. But if they want to listen they may.

As long as a website has a clealy visible "on/off" button to where I can turn off the music, I will. If I cannot turn it off, I leave immediately.

Brides generally love it, and I have music on mine. Very nice piano solos. It's fairly clear where you can turn off or turn down the music.

One of the most terrible thing I on websites is MUSIC! This is great sign of bad taste.....

Personally, I hate it because my volume is always turned up or I'm already listening to music.

If your visitor has the environment to comfortably listen to the music, and the music is to their taste, then it can really add to the presentation.

OTOH if your visitor is at work and gets hit with the same song that was playing on the car radio when their high-school boyfriend broke up with her then you've just lost a customer.

On balance it's not worth the risk to just hit them with it .. if you provide a button for them to turn the music on after the site loads that's the best of both worlds.