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Welcome Secondary research: market context Website design and objectives with AIDA Website design and objectives with 5 S’s Online sales research An introduction: Universal Music group (UMG) Website design objectives: UMG Website design objectives: UMG (5’s) An introduction to: Sony music group (SMG) Website design objectives (SMG) Website design objectives: SMG (5’s) An introduction to: Warner Music group (WMG) Website design objectives: WMG Website design objectives: WMG (5 S’s) Primary research- questionnaire Questionnaire results Primary research- Focus group Page design introduction Page design- UMG Page design- SMG Page design- WMG Navigation and structure introduction Navigation and structure: UMG Navigation and structure: SMG Navigation and structure: WMG Interactions introduction Interactions: UMG Interactions: SMG Interactions: WMG Online Value Proposition introduction Online Value Proposition Overview Online Value Proposition & Aesthetic: UMG Online Value Proposition & Aesthetic: SMG Online Value Proposition & Aesthetic: WMG Dynamic design Intro Dynamic design: UMG Dynamic design: SMG Dynamic design: WMG Customer Orientation introductionAccessibility Customer orientation SEO: UMG Customer Orientation SEO: SMG Customer Orientation SEO: WMG Copyright Reference
Welcome About The Team We are a group of four students from Bucks New University and have created a group called ‘First Million’. Over the months we have produced a report analysing the design on the top 3 music record labels. This magazine will evaluate, compare and critique the format of Universal Music Group, Sony BMG music entertainment and Warner Music Group use. We hope that the content will inspire you to use and understand these websites.
The Websites Used:
According to IFPI, the Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group are the top 3 for bestselling records labels. The Universal Music Group sells more music than any other major label.25.5% of the market in 2005 (IFPI Digital Music Report) Sony BMG Music Entertainment is the second biggest- 21.5% of the market (IFPI 2005).
http://www.sony.co.uk/ http://www.universalmusic.com/ http://www.wmg.com/
Bradley
Why we chose those labels?
Katherine
The Warner Music Group is the third major record label in music sales11.3% of the market (IFPI 2005).
Cain
Fazarna
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Secondary Research: Market Context First million have produced a series of secondary and primary research to gain an insight on the online record labels market. Over the years the music industry has discovered ways in which consumers listen and purchase music.
Sony, Warner music group and universal music group control the market and dispute all the major labels. Over the years There has been a divide between the music industry and consumers due to the slow new revenue streams and consumer demand. [Mintel] it has become second nature for consumers to use the internet to gather information, download and purchase new music.
In 2011, digital had become popular in single sales due to the success of the use of Spotify, it has been reported that Spotify sees 33 million free monthly active users through the Facebook platform alone. However, Mintel stated that there has been a 1.4% year on year increase in the total volume of albums purchased by consumers in the UK. CD sales fell by 7.2% to a total of 14.2 million units, whilst digital album sales increased by 17.8% to a total of 9.0 million (Mintel, 2013).
Digital media has impacted on hardcopy purchasing as only one in ten consumers who previously purchased hardcopy music and video are purchasing more physical music since they have started buying digital content (Mintel, 2013). “The music industry went through a number of years where purchasing hardcopy CDs was declined in contrast to digital revenues which have increased, although the increase was not adequate to encounter the decline seen in the hardcopy segment of the market� (Mintel). Did you know?.... The likelihood of buying more physical media after digital contents popularity increases as age falls. For example, 17% of 16-24s purchase more physical music compared to 3% of the over 65s.
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Website design and objectives with AIDA It is vital for a company to have an outstanding web design as we now live in a digital era where when consumers are searching for a specific product or service the first thing they would do is research and majority of the time it would be the web. Therefore having an accessible website can ensure a customer’s return as well as recommendation. Effective website design can help a business generate leads, increase sales, drive website traffic, increase brand awareness and engagement, and improve service delivery and many more.
AIDA Taking the AIDA theory into consideration when designing a website is vital in order to achieve the best results for a successful site, this is as follows: Attention: will be needed in order to guarantee maximum customer visits to the website and content that attracts the user’s eyes. Interest: giving the user the information they need about a product or service content will give them a reason as to why they should buy from your site. Desire: showing customers the company’s desire to help by showing them that they can solve their problems and meet their wants and needs is a bonus. This could be done through implementing incentives such as discounts and special offers that beat competitors to encourage customers to purchase. Action: by engaging the customer with the company’s site with getting them to register will keep them updated with latest trends which will eventually lead them to buy the company’s product or service
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Website design and objectives with 5’s When a company is designing and building a website, they will each have their own individual goals and objectives that they wish to strive, in the music industries’ case their website’s goal will be: - Help the customer find information on a particular artist - Help the customer buy music and the process leading to the purchase - Help the customer to watch previews of a music video of a song they would like to purchase - Help the customer communicate and engage with the organisation of the website - Help the customer have a better experience in all aspect - Make sure the customer can generate the site simply to ensure their satisfaction and return
5’s Chaffey and Smith (2001) suggest that these objectives can be achieved by implementing the eMarketing theory of the 5 S’s which are Sell, Serve, Speak, Save and Sizzle.
Sell- this refers to providing ways to buy products and services and generating leads. Serve refers to quick and easy access to latest trends and anything that adds value for customers. Speak- personalised content and social media engagement to enhance brand relations or in the music industries’ case music labels with customers through two way communication Save- to access to online applications and internet services and how saving on costs can help both parties (the business and consumer) Sizzle- refers to adding the uniqueness of the site, building the music label and providing quality customer service.
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Online/Sales Research In 2011 50% of music sales were purchased digitally this was the first time digital sales outpaced physical album sales . According to Nielsen SoundScan, digital sales were up by 8.4% from 2010 however physical album sales dropped by 5%. [Rolling stones 2012). In 2013 album sales went down by 4.6% since 2012 whereas digital albums sales are up by 6.3 % as for CD sales declined by14.2%.[Nielsen] . Today’s society has adapted to the new technology and has made digital purchasing more successful because of this Digital albums now comprise 43 percent of all album sales. “Overall sales are down slightly in the first half of 2013, but there continues to be encouraging growth in digital album sales,” says David Bakula,“[Nielsen]
Statistics on leading genres: Alternative genres and rock are most preferred by digital music consumers with rock albums accounting for 38,593,000 in digital sales, and records classified as alternative ,a rather vague genre designation moving 24,674,000 digital albums overall. - R&B is the third most popular genre for digital album downloads, followed by : -Rap, -Metal Country Predictably, the pop genre leads the way for digital track sales, with 24% of the total market, followed by rock with 22.9 % and R&B/hip-hop with 20.6% (rolling stones 2013).
The image below describes the market dynamics of recorded music . This is based on the global music market and UMG market share. Figure 1.0
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An Introduction To: Universal Music Group (UMG) About- Universal music group Universal Music Group, Inc. is one of the major music companies in the world. It functions as a music publishing company. The company discovers and develops songwriters, owns and administers copyrights to musical compositions to use in recordings, public performances as well as films and advertisements. It specialises on producing music for film and television markets as well as operating one of the most popular music video and entertainment platform, VEVO primarily in the US, Canada and UK. It represents music in various genres from songwriters worldwide.
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Web Design objectives: UMG On every website the visual aspect is really important it will determine whether you get people coming back to the site so making it clear and accessible for people from all backgrounds and abilities is an advantage
Accessibility: On the page to do with Dr. Dres headphones it allows viewers to see a YouTube video to get an insight of what colours its available in etc.
Visual: The colours used on the site are mostly black and white, using neutral colours indicates that the site is tailored to suit everyone- no gender specific but unisex. The home page its very basic, on the top left it has a brief drop list on the headings so the viewer can select a specific topic they want to look up. Along the bottom of all the pages it has contact numbers if consumers have any problems.
Web standards: Usability: On the UMG website, they have made it accessible to diverse users, an example of that would be considering different regions by changing the currency of the money suiting their country in order to purchase on the site.
This website uses cookies. A cookie is a small text file that can be stored on the computer's hard drive if you agree. It may be stored and updated at various times as the user access the website. Each time the user visits the website, the server may deliver certain customised information to their computer based on the data stored in their cookie.
Value of content (operation): This website could benefit from having a comments page as some of their products/music are found expensive, so having a page where previous viewers/buyers can comment on their buying experience as well as there feed back on the products would be ideal to convince consumers to purchase.
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Website Design Objectives: UMG (5 S’s) Speak
Save
On this site there are no ways for consumers to ask any questions or queries. With a site that people can purchase items off it could be a consideration for them to communicate with the company or view what people say about their buying experience. With the society we live in today it has become second nature for people to go online and research before purchasing. To create new loyal customers allowing them to make a decision that they want instead of taking a chance might benefit the company.
On the top hand corner of each page there is an icon that viewers can click on and sign up to, to receive newsletters that inform consumers about the top charts and latest news on signed up artists.
Sizzle There are icons on the top of each page and along the bottom to access their social media networks such as MySpace, with Facebook having 800,000,000 users and twitter having 250,000,000 and being the leading social networks used the site has chosen them to be at the top of the page where as it is easy to see.
Sell The website sells music as well as the opportunity to purchase Tshirts as well as gift cards for music lovers to buy the music they wish to online.
Serve The newsletters allows consumers to access the latest information on the label and the artist the work with. At the top of the page a slide show of pictures has news that can be clicked onto and there are tweets of news bellow it. The site has a history section where viewers can look at information from 1898.
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An introduction to: Sony Music Group (SMG) Sony Music Entertainment (SME) is the second largest of the three music companies. it is known to be a global recorded music company operating both local artists and international superstars. The company holds an immense amount of catalogue that contains some of the most important recordings in history. It specialises in premier record labels representing music from every genre. Examples of well-known labels are Colombia records, RCA recordings, Epic recordings and many more. SME is solely owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. However, Sony was one of the developers behind the compact disk digital music media, a CD production plant was constructed in Japan, allowing CBS to begin supplying some of the first CD releases for the American market in 1983.
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The visual design on the website is clear. The colours used are white and black so it appeals to both genders. They used a red coloured logo in order for it to stand out on the page it also has featured videos, labels and recent news which allows viewers to interact through twitter(this is in red writing).
It is important to get your website noticed by as many people as possible and targeting potential customers. Once a user types in ‘Sony Music’ the first link that appears is the Official website, which makes it easy for viewers to access . Algorithms looks at the key words used in the search engine and brings up pages that has the key words in.
Website as big as Sony have to concider the size of font and spacing to allow viewers with all abilities to read and find information they need without any problems and because the background is white it is easy for viewers to locate information. However It doest have as much interaction on this website such as videos and a slide show of artist they work with.
Having good content on the website helps increase the search engine ranking. This site has usefulf information and the search is clear which helps increase in traffic building
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Website Design Objectives: SMG (5 S’s) Sony music group from the onset is visually appealing and eye catching to the viewing audiences. Throughout each area of the website the site has tried to offer customer satisfaction through a great user experience and easy navigation while using the website. The site does this by providing the relevant information to do with artists and the different record labels through news feeds, articles, blogs and social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
The website speaks to the customers through its news feed this its news feed. This is a way of keeping customers up to date with the latest news and keeping them informed about celebs, Tweets and things to within this industry. The websites also does this by offering contacts of the different worldwide offices.
Sony music group is not like other on-line websites were you are able to purchase items. What the website is selling you is the artist’s that are a part of their label. This is achieved through the use of music videos from the artist which is featured through Vevo which is a music video website
Sony music entertainment Seeks to different themselves by presenting the different music record labels on their website and through this visitors are able to visit the joint websites which helps to add to user experience and also build the brand awareness and deliver a quality visitor experience.
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An introduction to: Warner Music Group (WMG) Warner Music Group (WMG) is an American major global record company. The largest American-owned music corporation worldwide, it is the third largest in the global music industry. The company operates some of the largest and most successful recording labels in the world, including its flagship labels Warner Bros. Records. Parlophone Records and Atlantic Records. WMG also owns Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's largest music-publishing companies. It works alongside top artists such as Michael Buble, T.I, James Blunt and many more. WMG had the No. 1 label in the U.S. in four of the last eight years, according to Nielsen/SoundScan (Warner Bros. in 2005 and 2007 and Atlantic in 2008 and 2009). WMG digital grew to 38% of global Recorded Music revenue in Fiscal 2012, up from virtually nothing in 2004.
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Web Design objectives: WMG Accessibility
SEO
The use of new technology sparingly to enhance the sites goals by using a slide show on the home page to promote the artist. Giving the viewer the option to click onto the imagine and listen to a track from that artist. It is critical that the images for key content is recognized by the search engines so it allows you to access it without a long wait
Search engine optimisation work in favour for the business. Once Warner music it is also the first link on of Google.
Visual The colour scheme is navy blue and white so its more masculine than feminine. but the white background makes it less harsh and unisex. Not that much content on the home page which allows you to click onto the drop bars for the pacific information you are looking for.
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Website design Objectives: WMG (5 S’s) Speak: The Warner Music Group has a contact department to help customers if they have any questions, comments or feel the need to contact headquarters. This is a B2C which allows the organisation of the company to build a relationship and contact with the consumers. The aim of this is to allow customers to express themselves and their quarries which could improve customer service.
Save: The site doesn’t give the opportunity for customers to purchase or sign up, instead it’s sole purpose is to provide information to users regarding the artists and record labels. However, users can connect to UMG via social media .
Sell: Warner music group does not give the users an opportunity to sign up to their site. This way the site is losing a lot of consumers as for a record label not to selling products or albums but only providing information and facts can be found dull. The site doesn't look eye catching or simple to navigate.
Sizzle: This site to differentiate themselves in a less formal way, and to connect with their target audience to build the brand they use social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. There are links on every page for the user to access these sites.
Serve: This site has a time line that allows consumers to view information as far as when it was first derived till the present time (1811 to 2013). It also has easy access to up to date news about the record label and the artists that they work with. With the copyright being brief and headings bold it allows viewers access the source of information they want.
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Primary Research- Questionnaire 1st Million digital marketing conducted a face-to-face survey using SNAP. It was made up of 25 multiple choice questions that consisted survey partakers to experience all three websites and answer the relevant questions in order to analyse the websites thoroughly. A total of twenty participants took part in completing this questionnaire leaving the team with enough information to base a solid analysis on.
The main aims of the questionnaire were to find out how the web users interpret all aspects of the online websites of Universal Music group, Warner music group and Sony Music group. For a record label to run a successful website they must take two key approaches into consideration; usability and accessibility. Applying these to an online website would mean the user can perform specific tasks effortlessly without confusion such as, search for a particular artist/ music video they are interested in, complete an online purchase via different music channels, have the ability to navigate and browse the site by finding everything needed approachable and clear, which will then encourage the user to visit the site again and endorse the site to other web users.
Hard- copies of the survey were distributed; this was done instead of using an online approach as the team felt that using mediums such as social media will broaden the target audience. Instead, the team focused on specific target audience that ensured accurate response and that participators can relate to the chosen topic. Also as our survey contained a lot of questions and information as well as consisted participators to navigate and interact with the three sites, it was considered time consuming. Therefore the team had to elite target audience that were keen on partaking the survey to guarantee accurate and effective answers as well as making sure participants are on the right sites. Analysing these questionnaires has left the team with primary insight and opinions on the efficiency of the three websites.
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Primary Research- Questionnaire
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Primary Research- Questionnaire
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Primary Research- Focus Group After conducting a questionnaire the team wanted to go in more depth and ask a group of six people between the ages of 18-24 to take part in a focus group. This opportunity helped us expand in questions as well as time.
Focus group results After finding 5 candidates all of which are students, some studying music degrees. we showed them the three record label websites; Sony BMG, UMG and WMG to gain a incite to how normal browsers would interpret the sites.
UMG– From the results the finding was clear that universal was the less preferred site of the three as they felt it didn't’t interact with them and the information was to compact on the landing page overloading them with data and information. However they felt that the quick access to social media was good with clear indication how to do it. BMG – All candidate agreed that BMG was very easy to navigate with a A-Z of all artists they felt this site was the most functional and organized. They also felt that the natural colours used made the site appear boring and bland. Again like Universal the site was to bland with not enough visuals and colours.
WMG- Warner was the most preferred site of the three with the visuals and video’s presented to you on the landing page, the candidates felt it was ‘eye catching’. As the videos and images can be clicked to go to a required destination this site for the Focus group was the best in terms of navigation and structure however still they felt the design worked lacked. In conclusion they all felt that the website did not appeal to there age group, even though some of the site they did enjoy using and find easy to navigate they felt the overall concept of the site and the colours used did not appeal to them or there Age group.
Figure 1.0 Focus group
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Page design is probably considered the most important factor when website building. This is because the design is the first thing the viewing audience is presented with; for instance if the colors and design are meaningful or bright this tends to draw the viewers in. It is imperative that website designers ensure the most important information is displayed on the homepage where the user can easily navigate to what they need as well as ensuring that all promotions and the company’s logo is in sight for the user to recognise. Having to design a page, should include vital advertising and other information and pictures that may induce the user to discover the website further, this is important because it is the first impression a user gets when they go on the site. By analyzing the three major record labels this will help understand the conventional way record labels design their site and how it can be improved.
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Navigation and structure is very important when website building, web users do not wish to be presented with a page of text or a site that is hard to navigate through. Navigation is defined as how people steer the website through implements such as links and menus. The structure is how these links and menus are place within the website and how sufficient it is to move around.
However, having too much content in one page can be found confusing and time consuming. It is important that websites are kept simple and bold for users to identify their chosen content, having done this will result in the success of a website. First million have analyzed the three leading music record labels sites to identify the strengths and weaknesses in terms of navigation and structure to help improve the overall performance of the sites.
Having an efficient structure to navigate the site make it easier for users to access relevant content. It is a fundamental aspect of website design and without having a useable structure, a company may lose out on website traffic because the users wont receive the content they need thus will result in failing to provide customer needs.
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This site offers a lot more features than the other two however the navigation lacks, rather than having links and interactive points all the features are clasped in on the home screen. The layout somewhat saves this website by using different colours and shadows, its easy to identify each section and from
The second section updates users on latest news and tweets from signed artists, which can be easily accessed as clicking on a specific news or tweet can navigate the user to it for more information. The third segment, gives the user the opportunity to watch videos, where there is no need to be directed to YouTube or sign in to Spotify but simply view it.
there tasks are easy to perform. According to our primary research, participants found that universal was the most structured website out of the three, this is because of the big fonts, this is an important asset as having very small font cannot appeal to those with visual impairments , thus having considering them is a bonus.
The website is structured in four elements. The first is promotions and advertisement on the latest music of their signed artists . This is a smart move, having that section first can attract the users attention when recognising their favourite artists. It also has the logo of the site as well as the popular recognised social media networks that majority of users use.
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The last piece is similar to the first, it promotes the new releases and gives the user the opportunity to listen to tracks, but instead the user must have Spotify in order to listen, which can be seen as a down side of the site as according to primary research, users find it time consuming to log in and if they do not have accounts they're obliged to register..
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The site’s navigation is fairly easy to operate, all simple task are straight forward. Shortcuts and interactive tools are used quite frequently , throughout the site and you can access all elements of the site from the home page without being overwhelmed with information and data.
However the structure of this site is very different to UMG, which in some way makes it unique from other record labels’ sites. It is easy to function as everything needed is within the segment of the users vision. One of the elements that makes this site stand out the most is the alphabet bar on the left side of the page. Having this can make it easier for users to navigate to the required artist. This site also has bold texts as well as images in order to entice users to continue browsing. Under the images there is a search bar where when the user cannot find a required content from the images above then they have the prospect to pursuit their request. The disadvantage of this site is that when the user clicks on the artist’s name, the site directs them to the bibliography of the artist but does not provide any music video preview or images, instead it had a little play button of one song that was difficult to identified. This was considered a flaw by participants in our focus group. However, on the side there was a twitter and Facebook icon where users are able to share the page.
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Warner's site is found durable to navigate due to the complex text rather than visional style design that is used throughout the first two sites. unlike the other sites WMG only uses a limited amount of drop boxes to organise the site. Small amount of imagery and logos are used to help identify specific artists and perform tasks, however this may cause some confusions as not everything is labeled, The downside to the site is that there isn't much interaction in terms of keeping the audience. WMG is the least favoured website according to participants. They found the structure complex and out of place with very little engagement with the users. When clicking on the side bar for information, the site does not navigate the user to a different page, instead it remains on the homepage with another tab of information, leaving the images in the same place that may not relate to the clicked on tab. Beside that, the font size is very small which users with visual impairments will find difficult.
However, there is very little promotion and advertisement on this site that can discourage users to induce them to want to read more.
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The primary aim for a website is to attract and engage its audience, this is why Interaction is a key element when web designing. If a site has great interaction this means the viewers should be engaged more creating a positive buzz. The group analyzed BMG, Universal and Warner's websites to gain a better incite to the interaction used on there sites.
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Curser interaction: moving the mouse over specific parts on the website user is immediately given more information without clicking.
Image links: If the viewer can see an image of a album cover or even a social media icon when clicked you will be directed to the corresponding web page.
Live feed: automatic updates of the latest social media from artists
Direct links: Link directly to VEVO- YouTube video of supporting artists, can also be streamed on the website.
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Pop up boxes: When scrolling through the A-Z of artists a box at the side of each letter pops up and displays all the artists which fit within that letter.
Background music: When a user sees a song in the playlist that they like they have the choice to click the ‘play’ button to hear the song whilst the user continues to browse. Direct links: Link directly to YouTube video of supporting artists, can also be streamed on the website.
Image display: Automatically flick through of images continuously rotating showing pictures of existing artists .
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Pop up boxes: Like SMG Warner's site uses pop up boxes, however the ones that are used on this site’s home page is more complex as the movement of the transition along with the zoom onto the picture can be found confusing.
Direct links: Link directly to YouTube video of supporting artists, can also be streamed on the website.
Illuminating text: When the curser hovers above the text, that section becomes highlighted so the users doesn’t become overwhelmed by a lot of texts.
Rotating imagery: Central on the page there is a collection of images of album covers, when the user’s mouse interacts with this wheel of images it begins to spin showing a wider range of different albums.
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The online value proposition is the USP (unique selling point) of an online website. The importance of an online proposition is to clearly communicate what content, features and online experiences your brand/ website is offering for each different social media platform. Within a website usability and design is not enough to make a good website, a value proposition is a positioning statement that defines the benefits you will be providing. An online value proposition is broken down into specific sections which will help to define who your target audience will the problems you will or may face and also why the website and the business venture you are offering is effectively better than the alternatives. Also it can be linked to the normal propositions of a company or its products.
A good online value proposition is usually based on an online variation of the marketing mix. This includes the 6’Cs Content – A detailed, in depth information to support the buying process of product usage Customization – personalisation of content, customer-tailored newsletters and personal recommendations Community – Social networking features and user generated content Convenience – the opportunity for visitors to select, purchase of any product or service at anytime Choice – Wide choice of products and suppliers Cost Reduction – The web is perceived as a low cost purchasing place therefore prices must be convenient Online value proposition is more than just a selling proposition since it shows what you can offer in way of content,, products services and experiences to engage online customers. The OVP (Online Value Proposition) extends this difference In that it identifies the reasons why customers will click on, return register or buy from your site ideally feel motivated enough to share their experience. (Smartinsight 2013)
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Record Label
OVP
UMG
displays a live twitter link which show customers artist tweets so they can follow and easily navigate to the information that they want to find. -Search bar below main heading showing exactly what the website offers and enables direct links so customers can find the product/artist they want
One of the Universal Music groups websites online value proposition is a live twitter link which show customers artist tweets so they can follow artists and easily navigate to the information that they want to find and keep up-to date with current news to do with music, artists, tours and more.
WMG
The main online value proposition on the Warner Music group website is located on the main page and is the main focus of the web page. The OVP displays various artists who are signed with the group and gives targeted audiences the chance to view links to content and music videos by various different artists for all genres and ages of music throughout the years. The main proposition for the Warner Music group website is its news feed which is located on the right hand side of the web page. Within this it shows the current information surrounding the music industries and record labels and companies. By doing this it is targeting to all audiences and selected audiences who are interested in this field of information and want to follow and further their information.
SMG
The main value proposition for Sony BMG music entertainment is it featured artist as fans of the singers can follow the various signed artist through tabs were they are then able to follow and find videos, information and content about the artist and also browse the official websites. Another value proposition is the featured videos this is where audiences of the website can view the latest videos from the artists.
There is an imaging that advertises various artists and allows audiences to follow a direct link to videos or information to do or that surrounds this artist- The website also offers album releases tour dates information which acts as one of many of this websites Ovp’s alongside with playlists latest news and more Down the left hand side of the page is an alphabet column which allows audiences to find various different artists. This is a great online value proposition as it makes the audiences experience of the website easier
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UMG displays a live twitter link which shows the user’s artist tweets so they can follow and easily navigate to the information that they want to find.
Search bar below main heading showing exactly what the website offers and enables direct links so customers can find the product/artist they want Quantified value of website is that it delivers to user’s specific needs, by offering tabs to look and listen to new releases from various artists. The main proposition for the Universal music group website is the click here for the ‘Hits Playlist’ link were target audiences can click to view and listen to latest hits from various different artists. This part of the site I structured to draw audience’s attention so they can browse and latest music tracks and keep up to-date with the current music charts and artist which they are into. Once Audiences click on side tab it then directs them to an alternative link called Spotify which is a commercial music streaming website.
The aesthetics of the website is plain and does not grasp or attract the audience’s attention. From the outset it is clear what the website offers and who its user will be. Compared to websites that are selling products, UMG website is not selling products but is selling/advertising artist, music and music websites. The demographic of this website is designed in a way to keep their audience attention so they can navigate to the content they want.
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Below the website link is a boarder with the logo, next to this is the sub headings which enables a drop down column so targeted audience can find various content Below it, is moving imaging that advertises various artists and allows audiences to follow a direct link to videos or information to do or that surrounds this artist
The website also offers album releases tour dates information which acts as one of many of this websites OVP’s alongside with playlists latest news and more
The aesthetics of the website is much more appealing to consumers than the previous to websites. From the engagement it piques audience’s interests from it’s use of colours, and it is clear what the website is offering and trying to promote and sell. From a market prospective this website has managed to reach its demographic within its site design, site appearance and more. For targeted audiences using this website the aesthetics has been designed around the type of consumer/consumers that may uses or come across this website.
Down the left hand side of the page is an alphabet column which allows audiences to find various different artists. This is a great OVP as it makes the audiences experience of the website easier and user friendly
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WMG displays links to content and music videos by various different artists for all genres and ages of music.
On the right hand side of the web page ‘News’ link on the latest information surrounding music industries and the company. This allows audiences to On the left hand side of the page is below the logo and name of the website is a list of tabs that lead audiences to certain domains of the website. Also there is a search bar below this in case the tabs do not specifically direct audiences to the content they need.
The aesthetics is also plain and very basic and compared to a retail website which is designed to grab the consumer attention the website at hand does the opposite of this and uses the appeal of the various artist their website is offering to grab and attract the their targeted audiences.
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Dynamic design and personalisation UMG
The name and logo of the organization is placed at the top left of every page which navigates the user back to the home page when they click on it. When the site is opened, a link appears asking if the user wishes the cookies to download onto their computer they have the option to exit if they are not interested. •The process of making an account is found easy and quick, for all the mandatory questions the site has made sure there is a ‘*’ beside it for it to be clear for users .
Next to the name and logo of the site, is placed the three well-known social media icons where the users can connect and like/follow the UMG page.
Under the ‘News’ section on the left side the dates of when the news was released is displayed, starting with the latest date. Beside it is the news hyperlinked to where it was found and for more information. On the right corner gives you the option to view the previous , next page or all of news.
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Dynamic design and personalisation UMG By the videos section, the site uses well-known icons in order to indicate information about the video, the option to share it via social media networks or purchase it. Having the black and white theme signifies structure and identification of the site. The site gives the user the choice to either watch the video or a preview of the track. By the music player there is the Spotify logo which is what is linked to the songs. By clicking on the chosen track it directs the user to the ‘Spotify’ log in/ sign up page in order for the user to hear the song.
The site promotes its latest releases using visual techniques such as an image in which attracts consumers as well as recognised icons. Which in this case the Amazon icon is displayed that directs you straight to the site where the album can be purchased.
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Dynamic design and personalisation SMG Beneath the large images of the top artists Sony works with, there are the record labels logo where users can recognise as soon as they see it. They have the option to click on it and it will direct the users to the record’s site.
Here the site displays the three most featured videos which is linked to VEVO- YouTube. The user can simply click on the link and it will direct them to the YouTube video.
When clicking on the Twitter name of the record label, it redirects the user to twitter where the user has the opportunity to follow and find out about the latest news on artists.
In order to stay in touch with fans/users, on the bottom of the right page, clicking on the link will navigate users to registration of the site where it asks two simple questions: email and country.
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Dynamic design and personalisation WMG On the home page they have news on the right hand side you can then click onto the link and it will tell you some background info on the artist as well as the latest news.
At the top of the home page there is a slide show of the artist/groups that this organisation is working with you can then click on this and play one of their videos. It has there awards on the site.
There is no Customer preferences where viewers are able to sign-up. But It has a career job search that if viewers have a passion for music industry they have the option to apply.
The home page of this website is brief easy to scan, but it has more drop columns than the universal and Sony music website. They have more background on the company that viewers can interact with such as a time line.
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Website usability is the ease of use and learn ability of a humanmade object for these websites, it determines how accessible a website is that can suit all the diverse types of web users, such as those with visual impairments or other disabilities that can impact the way they use the internet.
Nevertheless, web accessibility is not only designed to tailor disabled consumers but is applicable for people with any difficulties, requirements and needs accessing the internet. By implementing effective accessibility usage for the website, users can benefit from the website as well as the business. Having reliable accessibility is vital as businesses are looking at reaching a third of their market. Web accessibility is about ensuring the website is easily accesses through all types of browsing technology customer’s use. For example, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari etc. As well as accessibility on other devices such as Tablets, mobile phones etc. this is important because the future of the internet is rapidly growing and now moving into the digital era. By ensuring an easily accessible website, the business can obtain huge benefits in terms of making sure images, flash technology; graphics etc. all work well with different browsers.
Carrying out a focus group helped the team identify a disadvantage to the WMG website; it could not be accessed on a tablet due to the format being used, which is a downside to the company as this result in major loss of target market. This then leads to the level of accessibility when a web user wishes to sign up to the website, making sure that the format is straight forward and simple in order to prevent discouragement in signing up and the labels losing out a potential customer. From our primary research, majority of the participants stated that they found WMG ‘time consuming and boring’, to prevent this, the website needs to use the correct format that will avoid driving customers away. Website users tend to just browse through web pages rather than spend a lot of time reading through various web pages as this can becomes dreary and causes them to leave the website. According to our focus group, participants believed that SMG can be easily skimmed through as it was found quite visual. As web users find the internet time consuming, they like to find what they are looking for instantly without having to search for it, thus having bold headings, images,
links and many more will help the consumer find what they are searching for much quicker because the items stand out. According to primary research, SMG and UMG were found the two most visual and interactive sites.
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Copywriting can be broken down into a form called CRABS which stands for Chunky, Relevant, Accurate and Brief. Writing on a web is different to print your aim is to make it clear and scan able for viewers to find information quick and easy but also to keep them integrated.
Record Labels
Copyright
UMG
On the site the type on the text is brief and gives you that option to click onto the link to get more info, this also viewers to scan through the page and find the relevant info.
WMG
The home page of this website is brief easy to scan, but it has more drop columns than the universal and Sony music website. They have more background on the company that viewers can interact with such as a time line.
SMG
It doesn't have minimal text but the it is relevant with the news of what's going on in the industry and artists .this site has headings and key words are highlighted in the colour of the logo(red) this allows the viewers to scan through and to still get an accurate understanding of what this site offers. Overall all sites are very brief on the home pages because its purpose is to sell the artist and there music, but on all sites they have the option to find out more information by clicking onto the drop cullomNs . They are all clear and easy to read due to the colours used type face size of fonts etc.
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-http://marketingmix.co.uk/ -https://www.spotify.com/uk/about-us/artists/what-is-spotify/ -http://www.wmg.com/ -http://www.sonymusic.com/ -http://www.bmg.com/ -http://www.universalmusic.com/ -http://academic.mintel.com/display/174773/?highlight=true# -http://uk.ask.com/question/definition-of-digital-age -http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/press-room/2013/nielsen--entertainment---billboards-2013mid-year-music-industry-.html -http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/digital-sales-eclipse-physical-sales-for-first-time20120106#ixzz2n14Adn78 - Smith, P.R and Chaffey, D. (2008) eMarketing eXcellence (3rd ed), butterworth- Heinemann: oxford - http://www.vivendi.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/umg-investor-presentation-november2011-final.pdf
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