Web Marketing for the Music Business This page intentionally left blank Web Marketing for the Music Business Tom Hutchison AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON NEW YORK • OXFORD • PARIS • SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK © 2008 Tom Hutchison. Published by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone: (+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44) 1865 853333, E-mail: permissions@ elsevier.com. You may also complete your request online via the Elsevier homepage (http://elsevier.com), by selecting “Support & Contact” then “Copyright and Permission” and then “Obtaining Permissions.” Recognizing the importance of preserving what has been written, Elsevier prints its books on acid-free paper whenever possible. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hutchison, Thomas W. (Thomas William) Web marketing for the music business/Tom Hutchison. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-240-81044-7 (pbk. : alk.paper) 1. Music trade. 2. Internet marketing. I. Title. ML3790.H986 2008 780.68’8–dc22 2008020851 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 978-0-240-81044-7 For information on all Focal Press publications visit our website at www.books.elsevier.com 08 09 10 11 12 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America v Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.................................................................................................................... xi PREFACE ........................................................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1 l Development of Music Marketing on the Internet Background on the Internet................................................................................................................1 Music and the Internet ........................................................................................................................4 Itunes Story ...........................................................................................................................................7 Current Online Environment..............................................................................................................9 Glossary................................................................................................................................................10 References and Further Reading...................................................................................................12 CHAPTER 2 l State of the Market Trends in Internet use .......................................................................................................................15 Trends in E-commerce ......................................................................................................................16 Music Sales Trends............................................................................................................................19 Trends in Music Delivery and Marketing ..................................................................................... 25 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................28 Glossary...............................................................................................................................................28 References and Further Reading..................................................................................................28 CHAPTER 3 l Overall Music Marketing Strategy Publicity................................................................................................................................................31 Advertising.......................................................................................................................................... 32 Radio Promotion ...............................................................................................................................34 Retail Promotion ............................................................................................................................... 36 Music Videos .......................................................................................................................................37 Grassroots Marketing........................................................................................................................37 Internet Marketing............................................................................................................................ 38 Tour Support ...................................................................................................................................... 39 Special Markets and Products....................................................................................................... 39 vi Table of Contents Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................40 Glossary...............................................................................................................................................40 References and Further Reading...................................................................................................41 CHAPTER 4 l Domains and Hosts: Nuts and Bolts Web Site Basics: How Web Sites are Constructed...................................................................43 Domain Name.....................................................................................................................................44 Web Hosting.......................................................................................................................................48 Conclusion............................................................................................................................................51 Glossary................................................................................................................................................51 References and Further Reading.................................................................................................. 52 CHAPTER 5 l Creating the Web Site Web Site Goals................................................................................................................................... 55 Web Site Design .................................................................................................................................57 Web Design Software ......................................................................................................................70 Templates Anyone?...........................................................................................................................73 Elements and Content for an Artist Web Site............................................................................ 74 Conclusion............................................................................................................................................77 Appendix 1........................................................................................................................................... 78 Glossary............................................................................................................................................... 79 References and Further Reading..................................................................................................80 CHAPTER 6 l HTML and Scripts HTML: The Basics and Why You Need Them............................................................................. 83 CGI Scripts ..........................................................................................................................................90 Java and Javascript ..........................................................................................................................92 Web Widgets ...................................................................................................................................... 93 Captcha................................................................................................................................................94 Flash..................................................................................................................................................... 95 RSS Feeds.......................................................................................................................................... 95 Testing Across Browsers and Platforms..................................................................................... 97 Glossary...............................................................................................................................................98 References and Further Reading..................................................................................................99