Yikes -- Client wants a song to play on his site!

[Makosuke]

Would you expect no music on CNN or ESPN.
...
Would you ever listen to Star Wars without the music track.

That's not the question; the question is: Would you want a soundtrack to start playing when you open a copy of Time magazine or pick up the newspaper?

Of course not. You're not opening that magazine or newspaper for a multimedia experience, you're reading--emphasize READING--it to extract information and maybe get some pretty pictures. This is the same as what 99% of the people who use the web spend 95% of their time on the web doing. And this is why, so long as the web looks anything like it does now, in-your-face music will always be annoying.

Want proof? Try going to the Cartoon Network website, specifically the Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi section of it.

You'll notice that despite the fact that the page looks like Pink Crazed Barbie threw up on it and is apparently targeted at caffine-addicted 12 year old girls, not to mention is advertising a series whose only apparent appeal is that it stars cartoon effigies of an annoying girl-band, it still doesn't start playing a soundtrack when you first load the page. There's a nice, goofy looking boom box that thoughtfully tells you clicking on it will play a song.

Even kids who go to look up information on a hyperactive cartoon about Japanese pop stars don't want to be hit with music when they load the page--and this is an entirely flash site covered with "multimedia"--animation and video clips everywhere.

It's just bad.

 

[mcarvin]

As a designer, your expertise is to communicate and to solved problems. A good designer challenges and pushes the envelope and make it successful with given assets and guidlines.

I agree, except that while the medium allows for all sorts of wonderful (and not so wonderful) experiences, you must respect all likely user scenarios. It's not unreasonable to expect that the site would be viewed from a location where music is inappropriate and could get the visitor in trouble. As others above have said, very bad business.

When a designer does a site for a business - any size business or site, doesn't matter - the designer's #1 priority is to make the business look as good as possible in accordance with business goals, available assets, and available resources (designers, programmers, copywriters, etc). The designer's expertise makes it happen.

If I'm missing a site type here, please correct me. The only sites which I find autoplaying music appropriate for are artist/designer portfolio and musician/band sites, and possibly movie promo sites. Go visit some high-profile corporate or design sites -- thinking like Razorfish, IBM, Adobe, Fuel, and the like. There's a reason they don't regale you with music as soon as you load the page.

 

[Philoman]

If I'm missing a site type here, please correct me. The only sites which I find autoplaying music appropriate for are artist/designer portfolio and musician/band sites, and possibly movie promo sites. Go visit some high-profile corporate or design sites -- thinking like Razorfish, IBM, Adobe, Fuel, and the like. There's a reason they don't regale you with music as soon as you load the page.

As for the sound on web site, it all depends on contents and style of the site. Refer to my previous posting. There is no clear cut answer. As a designer, having appropriateness is another skill and talent.

Adobe, microsoft, Sony all had some kind of multimedia contents in the past. By the way, i'm sorry but adobe, razorfish, ibm are all too conservative and they are not good examples. We were not refering to these type of sites. Refer to my original post. Bottom line, there is no clear cut answer. There are many conditions. Banwidth, audience, appropriateness, timing, budget, deadline, content, audio quality, style and whatever comes to your mind. They all play a part. As a designer, you take all that in consideration. Then be a team player by having open ear to your client and your art director. If you have a better idea, present it in a professional manner. Case closed.

 

[scem0]

I have a lot of sympathy for you. Having a client tell you to put music on a website is like telling a cook to make a good meal out of fecal matter, it just doesn't work.

I still maintain my original stance of hosting your own, musicless version of the site on your company's server, and giving the music-loving bastard his fecal-matter .

scem0

 

[h0kie99]

Wow, a lot of interesting responses to this one! I had no idea this would get so heated... but now that I've read through all the responses, I can see why. Many different opinions out there.

We ended up deciding to put the damn song on the site, but we're using flash in this existing solid colored bar and there will be a slider for volume and an on/off button.

Hosting a music-less version is also a great idea for portfolio purposes!

Thanks everyone! Have a great weekend.