Out-of-date Websites

[Dan Bradley]

I have been observing a tendency lately for musicians to not update their websites. Obviously, TubeNet is a perfect example, as most of the site has not changed since the 90's. The "musician pictures" section includes many players that either don't play anymore or are dead. I was just on Patrick Sheridan's website, and it has obviously not been updated since 2008 (almost 10 years). I find this strange, since many educators and podcasts, like Andrew Hitz's "The Entrepreneurial Musician" podcast, espouse keeping your website up to date, social media, etc.

I assume that a lot of this is due to people getting information via social media instead of websites, but I still prefer getting information from official websites, as it just feels more genuine to me than a social media post. For example, I went on the Boston Brass website last year to see if they were playing near me, and there were no gigs listed. Two weeks later, I found out that they were playing with a community band in my area a few days later. I found this out via their facebook page, but by that time I already had conflicts and couldn't go.

Is this just the modern way? I may never see any of your responses, since TubeNet doesn't tell you anymore if someone responds to your post. I just thought it was an interesting topic.

Thanks,
Dan Bradley
Earth

[Rivercity Tuba]

Tubenet is fine and a great resource

[Leland]

For example, I went on the Boston Brass website last year to see if they were playing near me, and there were no gigs listed. Two weeks later, I found out that they were playing with a community band in my area a few days later. I found this out via their facebook page, but by that time I already had conflicts and couldn't go.

Is this just the modern way?

Yeah, pretty much. It's become the assumption that your audience (or at least a big enough audience) is on social media, and maintaining a social media presence is the quickest way to reach a wider number of people.

It's also "free", in terms of out-of-pocket expenses, and it's much easier than going back to your website host and updating its content, whether you do it yourself or you've hired a webmaster to do it for you.

Sure, there's the high-level tradeoffs of not being truly "free" (the platforms are paid by your mere presence, which FB/Twitter sells to advertisers, who then populate your feed and the sidebar) and not being searchable (go ahead, try to search for an old FB post via Google or DuckDuckGo), but it doesn't seem to matter when the information, like a concert schedule, is inherently transient.

[jmdavis]

Google calendar of events is a great option for websites.

[Wes Krygsman]

This comment is not meant to sound snarky, but it definitely comes across as a little rude...sorry for that.
I think that some of the artists not updating their websites are too busy practicing and performing in real life to worry about their digital life. Fortunately for most of them, their careers don't depend on the ability to find them online. They either won an audition or have enough of a reputation to not need the extra push of their website being updated to get work.

That being said, I would love to see the tour dates and upcoming events updated more from each artist so I don't miss out on seeing them if they are in the area.

[Art Hovey]

The Galvanized Jazz Band website is always up-to-date.
It's not that difficult; just a few minutes now and then after gigs and concerts.

[Leland]

The Galvanized Jazz Band website is always up-to-date.
It's not that difficult; just a few minutes now and then after gigs and concerts.

For those not involved in updating websites, can you describe how you manage the site? Wordpress/etc?

[Art Hovey]

It may be a great invention, but I know nothing about WordPress. Somebody helped me set up the website, but I update it myself using notepad and a little html that I learned from an "Idiot's Guide" book. You have to know how to log into the website's "file manager". Then it's just a matter of making the edits in NotePad, copying and pasting, checking for errors, and repeating as necessary.

[Leland]

It may be a great invention, but I know nothing about WordPress. Somebody helped me set up the website, but I update it myself using notepad and a little html that I learned from an "Idiot's Guide" book. You have to know how to log into the website's "file manager". Then it's just a matter of making the edits in NotePad, copying and pasting, checking for errors, and repeating as necessary.

I just had a look at your page. What I appreciate is that it loads lightning-quick. No trackers, no analytics to drag it down. Reminds me of the days when I first got DSL and web code was still basic and clean.
http://www.galvanizedjazz.com" target="_blank

[Mark]

Websites are proving to be pretty useless these days and go for long stretches without being updated because the owners do not seem them as being effective. They once were the rage, but no one does that game anymore. It is all about Twitter, Facebook, etc. Social Media is now how the really current people play the game.

If the website will not be updated regularly, it should be shut down. A website that is literally years out of date does not reflect well on the owner of the website.