Why Playing Music on your Web Site is a Bad Idea by Aycan Gulez aycan@wowwebdesigns.com

First appeared on February 11, 2003 Last update on Tuesday, March 25, 2003

Sponsor With the proliferation of Flash, an increasing number of web sites have started to play music in the background, or more appropriately a few second long sound loops. Here are four reasons as to why playing music on your web site is a bad idea. Sound loops are repetitive Since sound loops have to be short to reduce download times, they are repetitive, and even the best sound loops get on your nerves after a few minutes. Try to use your web site for 5 minutes while the music is on, and if you don't feel the slightest urge to turn it off, either your sound loop is one of the best ever produced or you really really like a few second long sound loops. People's music tastes vary greatly For one, I like epic symphonic soundtracks. I also enjoy some pop favorites from the 80's. Now, if you play me techno or hiphop then this will most likely irritate me. On the other hand, despite your best intentions, 3-second sound loops are a far cry from 3-minute songs, and they hardly do any justice to their respective genres. The solution may be streaming MP3, but that requires a broadband connection, and it may also require you to pay royalties. Sound loops interfere with the music already playing Many people occassionally play music while using their computers, including myself, and when I visit a web site that plays its own music, the result is often a terrible mixture of clashing notes. Unfortunately, sound off buttons are either well hidden or do not appear instantly, so your visitors in situations like this are often left with three choices: they can lower the volume, they can stop the music they are listening to, or they can hit the back button. Guess which of these three requires less effort and discomfort? Sound loops increase page download times Sound loops, especially the long ones, increase download times often for no good reason, and the longer you make your visitors wait, the easier they leave. Conclusion: Keep the music off by default, and write the name of the song and optionally the genre next to the sound controls. In this way, your visitors can make an informed decision.

Rating: 9.1 (3 votes)

Reader Feedback:

TomWhitney (2) - Dec 30th, 2005 Users may be shocked by sudden loud noise Many users play music, games etc. on their computers requiring that the volume be at a higher level. When they unknowingly visit a web page with audio it blares out at the high volume. Phoenix Arizona Web Page Design Updated on Jan 6th, 2006 hot h3ro (2) - Jun 12th, 2004 Content  6 Organization  10 Personal Slant  6 Overall 7.3 If your site is bad enough that people would rather click the back button then maybe you should rethink your design or content. Have you ever been to www.2advancedstudios.com or www.brokenpath.com? They loop music. Short little ambient clips. I wouldnt say the key would be to not have music, just have a variety of it so it doesnt get old. Their sites are insanely awesome compared to mine because I dont really have any content except for the hidden secret stuff that only a few friends know how to access, or clients. But thats besides the point, I just think youre wrong about playing music on a web site. by jim   (unregistered) - Aug 7th, 2003 I understand what you’re saying about peoples taste in music and the lengthy download time but is the any legal ramification with putting for example Frank Sinatra's Song on a website? chemcical 9 (10) - Mar 18th, 2003 Content  10 Organization  10 Personal Slant  10 Overall 10.0 All good points in regards to music on web sites. If you want to appeal to the widest audience possible, then I would agree that music is probably something you would want to avoid. One has to think if they want the visitor to the site to focus on the content, or the music, and hunting for the not always conspicuous "music off" button. I believe background music music can really enrich a user's experience, but it must be used cleverly and not cart blanche as it seems to be on most flash web sites. I like your comment about the music being in a default off position, that seems to be a good solution. The visitor then makes the decision on whether to listen to music. I know when I surf, I usually have my own music playing, and when the site's sound kicks in, I have a few seconds of unpleasantness trying to either turn down my music, or the sites. -peace!