15 of the best music website designs

As a musician, you should be putting your time into writing and creating music. In this digital world though, having a website to share that content far and wide is a reality for most artists. The good news is that creating a website from scratch has never been easier. 

A music website should be professional, organized, yet show some creative flair. After all, if you are carving out a slice of the web just for your career, you want it to reflect your personality and your sound.

To get started designing, choose a music website template. This will serve as your base from which to add your own style, making your website truly your own. All of the website templates on the Bandzoogle platform are fully customizable, and mobile-friendly.

So how do you create a music website design to match your brand? Here are 15 of the best website designs that show how to make a music website which will impress your fans and the industry alike.

1. Use an engaging header image

When someone visits your website you only have a few seconds to make a big impression. The quickest way to grab their attention is with a noteworthy header image. A header image is arguably just as important as your music - it will give your visitors a reason to click that play button.

In choosing the perfect header image for your music website, you’ll want to look for a few things. The image should be high-quality - you’ll want to be sure it gives a professional impression. It should also give a glimpse into your band, and what you sound like. 

The easiest way to do this is to be sure you’re mindful of the images you use. If you’re a folk band, photos taken outside in nature might work well. If you’re a DJ, get a shot of yourself at the turntables. It’s like creating artwork for your music - you want it to be meaningful and relevant to who you are.

Choose your colors wisely in your promotion photos like pop-punk trio Oceandvist to get a look that embodies your music. Their design is stunning, and suits their music to a T. With bright yellows and pinks leading the way in their header imagery, you get a clear sense that their music is energetic and cutting-edge. They also use pops of black throughout their website - drawn right from their header image - to provide contrast.

Artist: Oceandvist

2. Set up a call-to-action

The purpose of a website is to attract visitors. Once they’ve reached your website, however, you’ll want to direct them on what to do next. A call-to-action is the perfect way to add attention to an upcoming single release, a video, gather support for a crowdfunding campaign, or point out your fan subscriptions service. You can also use a call-to-action as a way to build your mailing list without being too obtrusive.

To add a call-to-action into your music website design, choose something that stands out over your main image, while still being coordinated. You can take inspiration from your call-to-action to determine how the rest of your website design should look. 

If you are using a fairly structured template, with sections in your content, and sans serif fonts, a call-to-action enclosed within a box will fit right in. If your website flows a bit more freely, your call-to-action can mimic that, perhaps by using a funky color or fancy font.

A nice example of a great website design that includes an effective call-to-action comes from hip hop music producer Miss Tahloulah May. She is using a template that expands all of her content to full-width, with a one page design. Both of these things are modern, and so her call-to-action is modern as well. It’s using a simple yet very clear font, sitting over her main image. When you land on her website, you take in her brand, and you’re also encouraged to sign up for her newsletter. As a design element, the call-to-action adds some interest to her header image by setting off her logo and menu as well.

Artist: Miss Tahloulah May

3. Use a video header 

Motion is an exciting and interesting part of any website. It can convey a feeling or spark imagination. Using a video header to lead off your design will set the tone for the rest of your music website. Make sure a video header isn’t too long, and set your title, social media icons, and menu over top of it. The combination of static text plus a moving video will make your website visitors stop and take notice.

Folky pop duo Wolf & Moon use a quirky, intriguing video to bring attention to their website design. Using a white font for the items sitting over their video makes them easy to read. The colors they use within the video, blues and yellows, are used throughout the rest of their website as well. Just from watching them walk around backwards, you get a feel for how their music might sound. After seeing this video, you want to dive in further and learn more.

Artist: Wolf & Moon

4. Add a stylized logo

To give your artist name some flair, consider adding a logo to give your website that extra bit of polish. You’ll want to make sure that your logo suits your style of music, and that you use it throughout the rest of your branding, wherever possible, from your music merch items to your business cards. 

If you’re wondering how much a logo can impact a music website’s design, take a look at the stunning template that’s been customized by Melbourne-based DJ and producer Phoenix Manson. The colors in his logo set the tone for the rest of the design, and are echoed everywhere throughout the site. It really pulls each page, each word and each image, together for a cohesive feel. This website has superb branding, and it all stems from the vibrant, interesting colors in the logo.

Artist: Phoenix Manson

5. Use animation to grab attention

Web design has come a long way over the last few years in terms of the ability to quickly load pages, both on desktop and mobile. Another trend that’s become popular is using animation as part of the design. As an interactive element, it's a great way to add motion and interest, especially right away in the header area of your website. 

Do yourself a favour and visit Queen Makedah’s website to get a sense of how to use animation to create a stunning website experience. The video she’s using in her main image is subtle, stunning, and unique. It gives you the sense that she’s creative, yet professional and polished. Plus, it sets the tone for the rest of her website's design: earthy, sleek, and peaceful. This flowing animation makes you take notice. You’ll be just as mesmerized by her presence and her songs. 

Artist: Queen Makedah

6. Set up section backgrounds

To create a music website design that’s both visually engaging and easy to take in, use styled sections throughout your pages. A section is a horizontal block of content, within which your content can be structured and styled. 

Sections are great to use on websites that feature a full-width header image. If you have a few photos from one shoot that exude the same vibe, add those throughout your website as backgrounds in your sections to create an interesting look. To make your website design look even more modern, set the sections as ‘fixed,’ meaning the content will scroll but your imagery will remain in place. 

Bluegrass singer and banjoist Alo Ver uses different sections to set off all of her content to create a cascading, whimsical look. Since she’s pulling colors from her header image and title font, every section has its own look, and encourages visitors to stop and look more closely at that content. Adding muted color overtop of the background images balances each section in her yellow and blue inspired design.

Artist: Alo Ver

7. Make use of a sidebar

If you don’t have that perfect, landscape-style header image, a sidebar might be the perfect design element to define your website. You can use a close up image, a portrait style image, or even a stock photo of an instrument. With the menu sitting over top of the image on the side, this kind of design is a bit more forgiving with imagery, while also appearing modern no matter what you do.

Part of the reason a sidebar works well in web design is that it looks great with sections. Divide up your content in blocks to draw attention to each element, and style each of these sections with its own background color, font, and button colors.

A stellar example of a sidebar in a music website is Malcolm Elliott’s rapper website. He’s inserted an image of himself to set up his branding on the left side. The menu placed overtop blends in, but is easy to read. Then he’s added his content in digestible sections, page by page. Tying in white sections with his white menu font works well to create a cohesive feel as you navigate his website.

Artist: Malcolm Elliott

8. Try a one-page web design

If you’re looking to set up a simple website, take sections to a new level with a one-page site. The key to designing a one page website is to make sure your menu is clear and organized. When someone clicks on a page name, they’ll jump down your page to that section directly.

The linear structure of one-page websites make them ideal to contain snippets of your music career. You can also focus a one-page website on a new release, adding album or single details, your artist bio, press, and a music player in your sections on the page.

To create a one-page website with a stunning design, choose one color as your focus. A second color can be used for your text, and then a third, accent color for your buttons and links. This will help keep things simple and make your content easy to navigate.

A great example of a one-page music website design is shown by Wolfmother. They’ve added a clean black background to set off their album covers and track titles in white. As the two most important sections, their music and shows are accessible right on the front page by clicking those menu items. Then they’ve built out fan subscriptions on their website as well, using separate pages to go more in-depth.

Artist: Wolfmother 

9. Make use of whitespace

One trend that seems here to stay is minimalism, and this is shown in current web designs as well. Music websites are no exception. Creating a website from a template that consists mostly of whitespace allows for plenty of videos, photos, and media to bring your band’s sound to life across your pages. Using whitespace means that you allow padding, or space, around all of your sections and content to let it ‘breathe.’

Using whitespace to create a minimal, yet engaging website is shown by rock band Kozen. They’ve taken advantage of a clean white slate to add plenty of videos, quotes, and blog posts side by side. Yet their content area doesn’t seem busy - without other design distractions, it’s easy to scroll and explore their pages.

Artist: Kozen

10. Create a minimalist design

Minimalist design can come in other colors schemes as well. The key to creating a modern, minimal look is to use pages wisely, and keep the content area uncluttered. Using an organized menu is key here, and designating each page with a clear purpose. Then on each page, use columns to separate out your content, and add a clear title for each. A sans serif font works well with a minimal website design, adding to the clarity of the pages.

The website design created by singer/songwriter Matthew Santos does this really nicely. He’s tied his simple website together with a header image plus a neon logo at the top. Each page is all black, with no distractions, then you have pops of bright blue to engage his website visitors.

Artist: Matthew Santos

11. Try a neon color palette

Want to revitalize your website in a modern way? Try out a color palette in neon shades to really make your mark. Neon colors are rising in popularity, from hot pink to blues and yellows. Using neon colors will breathe some life and energy into your music website (as long as it matches your sound, as well).

Pop artist Neekoh has made good use of contrasting neon colors to make his music pop off the page. He sets the tone for his website right away with a powerful close-up visual. His design also includes content at full-width, and a tiled, cascading gallery of images. Tie this in with his modern looking logo and menu, and his design appears both professional and compelling.

Artist: Neekoh

12. Create a classic black-and-white look

Another notable trend across the web is the popular dark mode. To emulate this with a music website, choose a template that starts with a black-and-white palette. From there, add your albums, musician bio, and videos.

A super sleek website that displays well in black and white comes from Americana singer-songwriter Lera Lynn. Just because she’s using black and white doesn’t mean her website is cookie cutter or boring. It’s the opposite, making you want to look further into her content. 

Grayscale imagery in the header area plus a clear white navigation bar set the tone for a stylish website celebrating her latest album. To liven up the black and white tones, she’s added punches of gold to pick up on her album artwork. Her inner pages feature just her name and menu at the top, leaving lots of room for her content.

Artist: Lera Lynn

13. Add big, bold fonts

A great way to create a modern look in your website design is by riding the wave of bold font choices. Make your artist name stand out, then mirror those fonts throughout your content to draw attention to your music, videos, and press kit. Choosing the right font can be an important way to set the tone for the rest of your design, but you can change your font as much as you’d like to try out different looks.

Dean Wareham has created a modern website design by using a big and bold font. Using crisp white letters, his text stands out nicely against his blue-washed background. The font choices carry throughout his website, making his social media icons pop, and giving his store items a modern look and feel.

Artist: Dean Wareham

14. Use simple, soothing colors 

Simple, minimal, soothing colors are growing in popularity as well. Capitalize on this trend by choosing a website template that includes a base palette in neutral creams, or mint green. It will have to match your music, of course, but if you keep the background colors simple your imagery will stand out nicely.

Using soothing colors to surround their music, Pop/R&B band Ni/Co has created a website as the perfect online calling card. With their sidebar menu floating over their website sections, they’ve kept things really simple to engage their visitors. With an explosively popular YouTube channel, they’ve added their most popular videos to the page in organized columns. Every image they use reflects their brand and is easy to use in a press campaign.

Artist: Ni/Co

15. Use your album artwork

If you need some inspiration to create a website design for your band, look no further than your album artwork. The benefits to using your album artwork as the focus of your website are multifold. First, if you’re launching a new album, rebranding is a snap. Just change your website template to one that has a good space for your artwork. This could be a template with a square image set up, or one with a structured feel to enclose your imagery. 

Second, it’s the perfect promotional push for new music. If your website is based on that artwork, your album will remain top of mind as your visitors explore your content.

You’ll want to create a cohesive look by mirroring the colors from your artwork within your website. Add your album in multiple places as well - on your Homepage, on your Music page, and then create an EPK for your music.

A great website design example using album art comes from progressive rock band No Sunshine. They’ve set up their artwork in the background of their site, then also added it as the main image. Setting a distinct call-to-action encouraging visitors to buy their latest album jumps off the page with the orange button. The font choices in their call-to-action and title are repeated throughout their website, setting up a cohesive and pleasing browsing experience.

Artist: No Sunshine

All of these music website designs from Bandzoogle members were created from a template, and then customized in ways to not only mirror current trends, but also to showcase their music in intriguing ways. If you’ve been feeling daunted trying to get that perfect, professional look, hopefully these designs will inspire you to do some customization - or start with a fresh design to match your sound.

If you change up your template, your content will stay intact. You can also create new pages, and move sections and features around to mix things up seamlessly within your design.

If you’ve been in a bit of a musical slump, focus on giving your website a shiny new look, and share that with your fans. It’s a great way to revitalize your online presence, and to get more people listening to your music again.

Create a music website that’s mobile-friendly and easy to customize. Design a website for your music today!