I can’t stand when music auto plays. I don’t mind if it is there but let me choose if I want to listen.

I’ve kept the volume turned off on my mac for years for exactly this reason. Nothing is worse than visiting a site and suddenly being assaulted by music blaring out of your speakers. And it’s for that reason alone that I did NOT put music on my own page!

I honestly really do not care what a photographer thinks about music on my site. When I switched to a flash site last Feb I got many emails from people who already liked my work in an HTML site and liked the upgrade. They also liked the music…a lot. The song is now in my Travel West section, but that was my opening site song at the time.

Photographers have to cater to clients not other photographers. Though I highly value photographers’ opinions when critiquing my actual art work (photographs), at the end of the day, it is about what I want and what clients/non-photographers want as far as the site. My opinion matters, clients spend money, non-photographers (i.e. family, friends etc.) refer clients. These groups take precedence over peers in this case. I feel that my site caters to me and clients. The blog caters to me, clients and peers.

Though most clients (except ones who only shop on price) seek photographers with work that they like and photographers seek the clients that the really want to work with, the space between what clients/non-photographers like versus what photographers like often is wide enough to drive a semi through it. There are several things that many clients/non-photographers like that photographers don’t including: HDR images (both DuChemin and Bourne have a post about this), flash websites, music on sites, selective colouring, repetitive traditional settings for images (beach, warehouse, railroad), digital images, images w/o copyright statement for web use, and retouching. Photographers heavily complain about the aforementioned yet clients/non-photographers fall in love with these over and over again (not stating ‘all’ photographers or ‘all’ clients).

There are things that I feel are abused in photography and a bigger issue than music on a site. For example, 2009 was the year of lens flare/sun abuse in engagement and wedding photography. Every time I saw that overrepresented in a portfolio I cringed. However, those photographers’ clients and peers were thrilled and left comments so at the end of the day, who am I to judge what another artist does?

Photographers have to reduce the self importance and realize that they might not be the primary intended audience. As far as the music being disresptful to the audience, I disagree. If a photographer knows who their target audience is and their audience likes the type of music, I can’t see how it would disrespect them.

Now, I do realize that in the wedding area, the music can be overwhelming since most clients who shop for a wedding photographer will naturally view more portfolios than someone shopping for a portrait, commercial, food or other photographer. In that case if the music is optional, that is nice and a choice to be made by the photographer himself, not his peers who are not hiring him in the first place.

I have music on my site because I am trying to help create that emotional connection via the first thing they see when entering. However I will be the first to change if I am way off base…

We are all offering our photographers opinions of our perception of our customers, but do we actually have concrete customer data?

Does anyone have a connection with Top Knot or some other customer facing source that can put together a survey and ask them?

@Eric — I’m actually offering my PERSONAL opinion when I say I don’t like music, and other noise, on websites. It has nothing, literally ZERO to do with me being a photographer.

Same here. I personally really dislike and know a lot a Friends that feel the same way. Why risk alienating so many people by having music? The people who really like it will be far outweighed by the people who leave the site.

@Mitch, I can’t argue that, we are all customers and buy online, however can we truly make unbiased opinions in this regard? I would really love to see actually Bride survey data.

It makes no sense to summarily discount the prevailing opinion that music on websites is a bad idea simply because the people giving those opinions are photographers.

From what I can see, opinions from users fall into two categories: 1) I can’t stand music on sites, and 2) I don’t mind music on sites. Note that you generally don’t find any responses in the third category, 3) I WANT music on sites (different from not minding). Therefore, I think is makes the most sense to not have music on a site, or at the very least have it off by default while giving the visitor the option to turn it on.

There are two types of people out there…warm fuzzies and cold pricklies. Who do I want to deal with? Warm fuzzies, of course. They are the ones who are geared toward an emotional response and my target market. They are the ones who love watching images with the music.

Music and imagery go well together. Try watching a music video without the music. Sure, they’re selling the music, but without it, the video has substantially less impact.Downright boring to be exact. Music is so important to create mood and feeling.Watch any movie or even a TV show. There’s music everywhere!! Why? Becuase it has a whole lot more impact and increases the enjoyment level. Not my opinion, just the facts.

I have been projecting slide shows in my studio with music for all of my wedding and portrait clients for the past 29 years. There have been many a tear from my clients viewing them. I have stock in Kleenex. If I would have shown the slideshows without the music, it would have soooooo much less appeal. There is an expression…”If they cry, they buy”.I KNOW for a fact that showing the images with the music has really increased my sales.

So, with all this said, why not follow through with music on the website? I have had many a positive comment on mine which has and always will have, music. (It can be turned off quite easily.) When it comes to an emotional response, I’ll take warm fuzzies any day. The cold pricklies, well, there’s lot’s of sites out there without music just for them!

I’ve found that almost all photogs hate web site music, but almost all of my clients (brides) love it. I’ve asked almost every lead and bride I’ve ever spoken to and they like it. They said it added “feel” and “mood” to the site.

Ask your target audience what they think, not other photographers. You’ll get very different answers.

And yes, I do have music on my site.

Maybe I should ask this question.

If a large national survey resulted in: The majority of brides feel music along with phtographs assists in making an emotional connection to the work.

Would you add music, or leave it off because you personally don’t like it?

I receive so many comments about how much people love the music on my site, which I purchased from Triple Scoop. I’ve even considered changing it, but when I mentioned it to a couple of clients, they immediately knocked that idea out! So many people have even told me they’ve purchased the song on iTunes because they found themselves listening to my website over and over, every day. I’m pretty sure I will never change the music on my site. I love the song I chose, and yes, I do enjoy listening to music on other photographers’ sites as well.

@Eric — Teeheehee … That’s a good question. I’d probably choose to leave it off ’cause of my personal preference.

@Jim — “why not follow through with music on the website?” Because my website serves for more than only showing imagery. When showing imagery in a slideshow, I don’t mind the music. When doing other stuff, reading about you, reviewing prices, policies, raves, reading your blog, I want to listen to my own music.

– Mitch

A lot of brides I know do a significant amount of their web browsing at work, and not always when they are meant to be perusing the internet. I don’t have music simply because their first reaction would be to close the window if music starts blaring out in the office and I am not sure how likely they are to return.

Personally, I quite like music on photography websites, as long as it is fitting with the site and quite subtle.

@Mitch – Music can be easily muted on my site. Also, sound can be adjusted by simply turning off the speakers or turning the sound down.
@ Chris – I agree that a lot of prospective brides peruse the internet at work when they are not supposed to. If that’s the case, I bet they are savvy enough to turn the volume down or off before they begin:)

Absolutely hate music on any website, unless it’s a website for music.

I wish websites would add this option to their splash page: “Enter with music” and “Enter without music”. No sudden loud surprises when the site loads if your volume is high in a quiet room.

We shut the music default off on our site. It slows the loading down and quite simply, how do I know the musical tastes of clients visiting our site? What I enjoy may annoy them. If they wish they can tuen on the music for our photography site. It is there if they want it, but most likely they are listening to Pandora or iTunes and the music just gets in their way.

Curtis