A new official website!

This makes me happy. It gives me one more bit of hope that UME has some promo power behind them. My mother told me yesterday that there's a lot of social media buzz. If this album could chart well it would be a dream come true.
 
This is typical for any artist that Universal promotes. They set up an official mini-site that has some basic info and links to order some stuff. It's official, in that it's officially set up by Universal. With most artists, these mini-sites will change with each subsequent album release as part of the promotion. They're usually slick-looking - but they won't really be very much value over the long haul.
 
Harry said:
This is typical for any artist that Universal promotes. They set up an official mini-site that has some basic info and links to order some stuff. It's official, in that it's officially set up by Universal. With most artists, these mini-sites will change with each subsequent album release as part of the promotion. They're usually slick-looking - but they won't really be very much value over the long haul.
Click to expand...
Yeah when my cynical side took over after the initial excitement it occurred to me that this is probably just a sales landing page for web and social media promotion. But if it's turning people on to the music it's worth it.
 
They've done no search engine optimization or Adwords promotion on the new site, so it is most likely just a landing page for sales. When you google search "official carpenters" the original R&K site is #1 in the results and the new Universal page doesn't even crack the top 10. The Facebook page is #2 but that's just because of the link juice that Facebook has with google to begin with, so regardless of the topic you search, a related Facebook page will always be on the first page of results.

As far as the old site goes, I have a feeling that if Richard ever decided to upgrade and modernize it, it would end up being all Japanese and we'd need to run every page through Google Translate in order to read it. The up side is that at least this is possible with a website unlike the "mook book." It's all so tiresome.
 
leadmister said:
They've done no search engine optimization or Adwords promotion on the new site, so it is most likely just a landing page for sales.
Click to expand...

In that case, that’s exactly what it is: a landing page for sales of the current album. To be honest, I did wonder what reason there would be for Universal to host an official site. Beyond the impending RPO album, there’s absolutely no mileage in it whatsoever, unless they beef the site up and link it to the entire catalogue.
 
newvillefan said:
In that case, that’s exactly what it is: a landing page for sales of the current album. To be honest, I did wonder what reason there would be for Universal to host an official site. Beyond the impending RPO album, there’s absolutely no mileage in it whatsoever, unless they beef the site up and link it to the entire catalogue.
Click to expand...
Yeah the photo's page only has what 4 or 5 pics...I was like huh? that's it :laugh: :cry:
 
I've said this a zillion times, but if Richard really wanted a good official site, he could have one with his entire history on it. All he has to do is say the word (and write a relatively small check.)

I think he just doesn't want to bother with that new-fangled internet nonsense. (I do wonder if any of his family has ever bugged him about it!)
 
Mike Blakesley said:
I think he just doesn't want to bother with that new-fangled internet nonsense. (I do wonder if any of his family has ever bugged him about it!)
Click to expand...
I think they maybe have a little, which is why he is on Instagram. My sister bugged my 70 year old mother for years to get a Facebook account and even bought her a new iPad to facilitate the idea. She does nothing but lurk and she only posts every once in a blue moon. It's just too different for her. She's just from a different time. It reminds me a lot of what I see on Richard's Instagram page.
 
No clue what the Webutante was thinking.
Click to expand...
That's an easy one....the Webutante just didn't have much (or any!) web design experience, that's all.

I can almost hear the conversation in Richard's office:

Webutante: Richard, you NEED to have a website, would you PLEASE let me make you one? I'll do it during office hours so it won't be expensive.
Richard: You've been asking me this for months...if I say yes, will you promise not to mention it again?
Webutante: Yes, as long as you agree to answer some fan questions and then I won't bug you with it.
Richard: OK, but remember your promise!
 
Mike Blakesley said:
That's an easy one....the Webutante just didn't have much (or any!) web design experience, that's all.

I can almost hear the conversation in Richard's office:

Webutante: Richard, you NEED to have a website, would you PLEASE let me make you one? I'll do it during office hours so it won't be expensive.
Richard: You've been asking me this for months...if I say yes, will you promise not to mention it again?
Webutante: Yes, as long as you agree to answer some fan questions and then I won't bug you with it.
Richard: OK, but remember your promise!
Click to expand...

That's gotta be it. It's one of those Microsoft FrontPage deals from a thousand years ago.

Ed
 
What bothers me is that non-fans will see it and be put off by the awful design. What's going on with the top photo and all that weird black airbrushing thing? Maybe if we all bugged UMG they might transfer some of the more interesting content to the new official site.
 
Someday said:
What bothers me is that non-fans will see it and be put off by the awful design. What's going on with the top photo and all that weird black airbrushing thing? Maybe if we all bugged UMG they might transfer some of the more interesting content to the new official site.
Click to expand...
It is off-putting by today's standards. It was off-putting by 2007 standards. Regardless, in today's Internet world, if it isn't Wordpress, it isn't $%^&. And Wordpress is so much easier to build a page with than the stuff they used to build the R&K site.

It probably took a developer contracted by UMe a total of 2 hours to build the sales page that is up now, and all that would have to be done to improve it is to add content, and that is the easy part, since the most difficult design and planning stages are done. And most likely, at that, they just built off of a UMe artist site template anyway. Hell, it probably took longer to connect the site to the domain and make it live than it did to put it together. It would only take an hour or 2 more, max, to fill the site up with content such as previous releases (which could stimulate back catalog sales, another win for UMe) and biographical info/pictures. Link videos of Karen singing and playing the drums to show even more how special she was, etc.

I worked in web development for several years and something like this just makes me itch to get hold of it and turn it into something great from the perspective of someone who actually cares. And I'm getting tons of ideas on how to improve this site, because I care and am excited about the possibilities. But just like the original company A&M, UMe just don't seem to see the potential of what they have here, and with their promo power, how much they could turn a whole new generation onto this stuff. Queen is all over the place right now because of their movie that just came out and the advertising opportunities they are taking with the back catalog. Why shouldn't we be hearing Carpenters tunes on ads as well? And it doesn't even take money anymore. Sure it helps, but with viral marketing tactics and social media, buzz can be started pretty easily if you have enough followers and people will come to UMe wanting more.

Or maybe that's all just a pipe dream. Who knows?
 
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