# Music on websites:  What the consumers think!



## e.rose (Mar 22, 2011)

So, I decided to follow through with my idea of polling a bunch of married women shopping around for photographers, on their opinion of music on photography websites.  We all argue back and forth about what *we* think the consumer thinks about it, but I wanted to see for myself what the consumer thinks about it... 

So I went back to my old stomping grounds, a wedding forum run by theknot.com, but hosted on Facebook, as well as posting on theknot.com.

Here are the results thus far:

EDIT:  Just kidding.  I didn't realize only I could see that link.  I don't want to post the poll b/c I don't want anyone cheating :greenpbl:   So here's a screen shot of the results as of now:







I'll continue to update as it changes.  

/EDIT

I don't know if anyone from theknot.com has answered, but I know a bunch of the girls from the forum *I* used to post on answered because they're all discussing it in the thread I started 

I wanted to wait until I got some results before posting this, but it's still active, so feel free to check back on the results as I'm sure they will continue to change a bit.

As of 5:58pm the results are:

54.17% - It annoys me, but I just turn it off, or mute my speakers and continue browsing the site.

25% - Ugh, it's the most ANNOYING thing in the WORLD. I won't even browse the site if it has music. I close the window and move onto someone ELSE'S site, that doesn't have music playing.

12.5% - I generally enjoy it. I think it adds a nice touch.	

8.33% - Unless it's a song/style of music I absolutely hate, I'll let it play and think nothing of it either way.

That's from 24 people voting. :sillysmi:


----------



## o hey tyler (Mar 22, 2011)

Wow, never would have guessed that the majority of consumers don't like music on photography sites.


----------



## e.rose (Mar 22, 2011)

o hey tyler said:


> Wow, never would have guessed that the majority of consumers don't like music on photography sites.


 
  Are you drinking again Tyler?


----------



## o hey tyler (Mar 22, 2011)

Always.


----------



## e.rose (Mar 22, 2011)

That's mah boy! :cheers:


----------



## vtf (Mar 22, 2011)

Now you have given yourself the right to complain. Results are still early and different people during different times may swing the vote but this is the closest I've seen someone get to providing correct feedback to the music issue. Good Job. :thumbup:
Frankly I use headphones on my computer so its always silent until I put them on, therefore I never hear music unless I want to.


----------



## e.rose (Mar 22, 2011)

vtf said:


> Now you have given yourself the right to complain. Results are still early and different people during different times may swing the vote but this is the closest I've seen someone get to providing correct feedback to the music issue. Good Job. :thumbup:
> Frankly I use headphones on my computer so its always silent until I put them on, therefore I never hear music unless I want to.


 
Haha, well that's the thing... *I* personally don't care either way... but I just wanted to see what the results of a poll would be after all the constant back and forth I see.  

I'm of the camp that just mutes it or turns off my speakers and keeps browsing the site, but I'm not the "consumer" so I don't count.  :lmao:


----------



## raphaelaaron (Mar 22, 2011)

i have music on my site, and most of the feedback i've gotten from it has been positive--from clients and friends alike.

i guess it depends on what kind of music you choose. don't go picking something you've been listening to for that time of your life and decide that it's so profound, and the world would think it would be profound with you.

i think whatever compliments and sets the mood of the pictures you want to convey, is adequate.

but there's a mute button just in case


----------



## e.rose (Mar 22, 2011)

raphaelaaron said:


> i have music on my site, and most of the feedback i've gotten from it has been positive--from clients and friends alike.
> 
> i guess it depends on what kind of music you choose. don't go picking something you've been listening to for that time of your life and decide that it's so profound, and the world would think it would be profound with you.
> 
> ...



Hey man ::lifts hands in defense:: I'm just reporting what the brides are voting.


----------



## e.rose (Mar 22, 2011)

Speaking of which...

As of 9:00pm:






55.88% - It annoys me, but I just turn it off, or mute my speakers and continue browsing the site.

23.53% - Ugh, it's the most ANNOYING thing in the WORLD. I won't even browse the site if it has music. I close the window and move onto someone ELSE'S site, that doesn't have music playing.

11.76% - I generally enjoy it. I think it adds a nice touch.	

8.82% - Unless it's a song/style of music I absolutely hate, I'll let it play and think nothing of it either way.

Total Votes: 34


----------



## raphaelaaron (Mar 22, 2011)

lol, i'm not getting upset at you.

knowing me, i probably wouldn't care if they didn't like it or not.

though it could be worse....maybe i should cycle rebecca black's "friday" song on there instead. that would draw the hits.


----------



## e.rose (Mar 22, 2011)

raphaelaaron said:


> lol, i'm not getting upset at you.
> 
> knowing me, i probably wouldn't care if they didn't like it or not.
> 
> though it could be worse....maybe i should cycle rebecca black's "friday" song on there instead. that would draw the hits.


 
I'd LIKE to say that I would IMMEDIATELY click out of your site if I heard that... but I just find it SO damned funny, that I would probably allow it to play through the first chorus while I did my "Friday Dance", before finally saying "Okay, that's enough."


----------



## o hey tyler (Mar 22, 2011)

raphaelaaron said:


> though it could be worse....maybe i should cycle rebecca black's "friday" song on there instead. that would draw the hits.


 
Man... **** that song.


----------



## Bitter Jeweler (Mar 22, 2011)

raphaelaaron said:
			
		

> ...maybe i should cycle rebecca black's "friday" song on there instead. that would draw the hits.


 
You are already losing viewers anyway, so why not


----------



## e.rose (Mar 22, 2011)

o hey tyler said:


> raphaelaaron said:
> 
> 
> > though it could be worse....maybe i should cycle rebecca black's "friday" song on there instead. that would draw the hits.
> ...


----------



## KmH (Mar 22, 2011)

Only 24 opinions is statistically useless.  :er:


----------



## Bitter Jeweler (Mar 22, 2011)

It's at 34 now. Approaching usefulness?


----------



## SpeedTrap (Mar 22, 2011)

One problem, try changing the options to a bit more generic, the current responses have opinionated overtones.


----------



## vfotog (Mar 23, 2011)

I can't stand sites with music especially because I always have multiple tabs open and I may also be listening to music while I'm online. It's a PITA to try and find the mute button for a site. If I don't find the button right away, I leave the site.


----------



## K8-90 (Mar 23, 2011)

Agree with vfotog!


----------



## e.rose (Mar 23, 2011)

Because *clearly* this was meant as a solid scientific statistic that determines what photographers *everywhere* do with their businesses from now on and **not** just a fun experiment to see what a bunch of brides on a forum would say...

Here are the latest numbers. 

As of 3:50pm (because I just woke up after going to bed at 6:30am this morning  )







59.57% - It annoys me, but I just turn it off, or mute my speakers and continue browsing the site.

25.53% - Ugh, it's the most ANNOYING thing in the WORLD. I won't even browse the site if it has music. I close the window and move onto someone ELSE'S site, that doesn't have music playing.

8.51% - I generally enjoy it. I think it adds a nice touch.	

6.38% - Unless it's a song/style of music I absolutely hate, I'll let it play and think nothing of it either way.

Total Votes:  47


----------



## o hey tyler (Mar 23, 2011)

e.rose said:


> As of 3:50pm (because I just woke up after going to bed at 6:30am this morning  )


 
Let me guess... Up all night drinking and banging again, huh Emily?


----------



## e.rose (Mar 23, 2011)

o hey tyler said:


> e.rose said:
> 
> 
> > As of 3:50pm (because I just woke up after going to bed at 6:30am this morning  )
> ...


 
Why would you assume there was alcohol involved?  :lmao:


----------



## KmH (Mar 23, 2011)

Bitter Jeweler said:


> It's at 34 now. Approaching usefulness?


 Very slowly.

When it gets up to a couple of thousand, I'll take another look.


----------



## bennielou (Mar 24, 2011)

Hi e.Rose,

I think we might have seen the same Knot survey. I had music on my site for a few years and never really heard any complaints.  However, I saw that Knot poll and it changed my mind.  The reasons they gave are one's I'd never thought about.  (I think there were 10 brides total surveyed and none of them liked the music).  Or it might have been Professional Photographer Mag.  I really don't remember.

1.  They were already listening to music online, and so when the photographers music started it was super annoying and they didn't know how to stop it without leaving the site.  Leaving the site was their first reaction.

2.  They were trying to be sneaky at work and were looking up photographers while on the company dime.  The sudden blaring music was a dead giveaway that they weren't working on Excell spreadsheets.

3.  Same as above for late night recon missions by want to be brides and moms of new babies.  They got busted by the guy who had not yet proposed and woke up the baby.

4.  They couldn't figure out which tab to hit to turn it off or turn it down.

5.  They loved the site, but hated the music choice of the photographer, thus judging the photog might not be a good fit, personality wise.


Personally, I LOVED viewing sites with music.  If it was the right music, it could bring me to tears with the right photographs.  It was hard for me to take the music off, but the people spoke.


----------



## e.rose (Mar 24, 2011)

I don't think that the knot survey you're talking about was mine because on the knot there wasn't any discussion on my thread... UNELSS you're talking about the forum run by the Knot of FACEBOOK.... THAT one had discussion.    And this was a reason someone gave that I found interesting, because I, myself, had never considered that while looking through photographers:



bennielou said:


> 5.  They loved the site, but hated the music choice of the photographer, thus judging the photog might not be a good fit, personality wise.


 

But apparently some *do* judge your personality based on that.  I found it interesting. :sillysmi:


----------



## bennielou (Mar 24, 2011)

It might have been a magazine. I honestly don't remember. What I do remember what that it was a Knot Bride Survey. (Personally I'm not a fan of the Knot, but I did like seeing the responses.) I thought that maybe we had seen the same study.

I found that interesting to me because I had this weird trance music. I thought it was cool. I hated to remove it. The first few days after I took it off, I had a few brides who asked if my site was messed up because the music was missing. But then I started booking like crazy so I was torn.


----------



## e.rose (Mar 24, 2011)

bennielou said:


> I thought that maybe we had seen the same study..


 
Nah, this was a poll I started at the two forums. :sillysmi:


----------



## c.cloudwalker (Mar 24, 2011)

For what it's worth, I keep my computer sound off unless I'm looking for new music. Not just because of music on some websites but because of all the different noises made by computers


----------



## bennielou (Mar 24, 2011)

e.rose said:


> bennielou said:
> 
> 
> > I thought that maybe we had seen the same study..
> ...


 
Very cool.  They seemed to have both come up with the same conclusion.  I still miss my website music though. :-(


----------



## e.rose (Mar 24, 2011)

c.cloudwalker said:


> For what it's worth, I keep my computer sound off unless I'm looking for new music. Not just because of music on some websites but because of all the different noises made by computers


 
Computer noise doesn't bother me, unless I accidentally leave my speakers really loud and something BLASTS me.  



bennielou said:


> e.rose said:
> 
> 
> > bennielou said:
> ...


 
Haha, aw... well... I'm sorry for your loss. :hug::


----------



## mishele (Mar 24, 2011)

I'm a music on sites hater..........yes it's true. 

Thanks for the poll Emily....good stuff!!


----------



## loopy (Mar 24, 2011)

raphaelaaron said:


> i have music on my site, and most of the feedback i've gotten from it has been positive--from clients and friends alike.


 
Do you mind sharing your website bounce rate? Having a flash site that plays music, I'm willing to bet it is pretty high.


----------



## e.rose (Mar 24, 2011)

mishele said:


> I'm a music on sites hater..........yes it's true.
> 
> Thanks for the poll Emily....good stuff!!


 
Haha, you're welcome :sillysmi:



loopy said:


> raphaelaaron said:
> 
> 
> > i have music on my site, and most of the feedback i've gotten from it has been positive--from clients and friends alike.
> ...


 
Can we please not turn this into a snarky pissing contest?  This was just for fun and the sake of (my) curiosity... not to start sh*t with people poking at others' webpages.


----------



## Bitter Jeweler (Mar 24, 2011)

e.rose said:


> loopy said:
> 
> 
> > raphaelaaron said:
> ...


 
I am curious too. Music AND Flash. Two strikes!

If it were a free template site, he would have a trifecta!


----------



## e.rose (Mar 24, 2011)

Bitter Jeweler said:


> If it were a free template site, he would have a trifecta!


 




I'm just saying... I don't want to come home tonight to 5 pages of people having a penis showing contest, that's all.  :lmao:


----------



## c.cloudwalker (Mar 24, 2011)

I'll show you mine if you show me yours...


----------



## o hey tyler (Mar 24, 2011)

e.rose said:


> I don't want to come home tonight to 5 pages of people having a penis showing contest.


 
Shush yo' mouf. That's exactly what you want to come home to. 5 pages of e-dicks.


----------



## e.rose (Mar 24, 2011)

c.cloudwalker said:


> I'll show you mine if you show me yours...



On three... ready?

1...

2...

....



o hey tyler said:


> e.rose said:
> 
> 
> > I don't want to come home tonight to 5 pages of people having a penis showing contest.
> ...


 
  Literally laughed out loud at that one.  :lmao:


----------



## bentcountershaft (Mar 24, 2011)

One thing I hate about music on photo web sites is that most of the time the music isn't being used legally.  That pisses the musician in me off the same way a band using a photographer's photos with out permission pisses the photographer in me off.


----------



## e.rose (Mar 25, 2011)

bentcountershaft said:


> One thing I hate about music on photo web sites is that most of the time the music isn't being used legally.  That pisses the musician in me off the same way a band using a photographer's photos with out permission pisses the photographer in me off.


 
Even if people LOVED music on websites... that's the main reason I wouldn't do it, because I can't afford the licensing fees right now.


----------



## KmH (Mar 26, 2011)

The bottom line is - you only get 1 chance to make a first impression.

Ask yourself - How many non-photographer, non-music web sites do you routinely encounter that have music playing?


----------



## vinith98 (Apr 3, 2011)

Music out photography sites slow them down, this could be very irritating especially for people will a slow internet connection. I suggest that if you really want music on your site, then give an option to turn it off or an option to change the kind of music.


----------

