Should C64Audio.com try the "Radiohead" model?

[Razmo]

Also... I've taken a look on the banners advertising for C64audio... on RKO and R64. The add on R64 is mixed in between three other adds, and is so small you hardly really notice it... the same goes for RKO... it's just a "silent" banner in the top... you hardly notice it because banners are so common on every internet page these days, and people have learned to "miss them"... another thing is; The banner says nothing about the sites content whatsoever... nowhere is it telling the viewer that you can buy records there... it could well be just another underground community link...

What about making a larger add, that would load up into people face everytime a free song has been downloaded at RKO? ...

[Chris Abbott]

As far as I know, when you click on a download link on RKO, you get a banner.... if that's inadequate then it's my fault, because I'm feeding that graphic. You see why I feel so guilty about asking for help from other people? Because I sometimes haven't got the time or energy to do stuff...

Chris

[Razmo]

As far as I know, when you click on a download link on RKO, you get a banner.... if that's inadequate then it's my fault, because I'm feeding that graphic. You see why I feel so guilty about asking for help from other people? Because I sometimes haven't got the time or energy to do stuff...

Chris

I don't get any banner when I press a tune on RKO... my PC just start up Media Player and start the music... that's it. Have to add, that I've disabled popups by the way, but who has not?

I was simply imagining a second window that turns up when you press a tune link, with a nice banner, and maybe even a text saying something like:

"Now that you have downloaded this free piece of music from our scene, and have shown an interrest in the C64 remix scene, please do us a favor and visit the sponsor that make it all possible:"

*Banner add*

"Many musicians are doing a lot of hard work to make RKO free, and gives you the opportunity to enjoy this creative goldmine, but please note that this was not possible, if.... bla. bla. bla.... (you know the drill)..."

Just be friendly in the text, and give people the feelin' that they have no obligation to buy anything, but give them a good reason to, if they find something they like, and MAKE SURE that it's clearly written WHY it's important that C64audio.com will survive.

People will be 10 times more motivated to buy stuff when they feel that they make the desicion themselves... and not their conciousness (which sometimes feel like a seperate individual )

I don't think it's disturbing to give people that extra mouseclick when downloading at RKO... they get lots of quality for free, so that's the least ...

...and oh, by the way, I believe there is being played a lot more of the commercial remixes on SlayRadio now is there not?... I believe I've noticed that there are many more tunes I've not heard before, and they actually sound like better quality, so if this is so, then I'll have to reconsider my earlier words on the quality difference to RKO and C64audio .... the later definitely have a better quality to them.

[Chris Abbott]

Um:

1) I thought Jan was doing that already, maybe it was just planned (before downloading).

2) I don't think there's _more_ commercial remixes being played on Slay, but I'm glad you noticed... the difference is that having to commit your work to CD tends to result in many more drafts and work than producing an MP3 from RKO, because it's more "permanent". So a lot more time is spent, usually.

Chris

[Chris Abbott]

RKO: the banner was kind of talked about, but implemented as what it is now: i.e. subtle and tasteful. Blame my Swiss cheese brain for getting all muddled. Sorry Jan.

Chris

[Jan Lund Thomsen]

People will be 10 times more motivated to buy stuff when they feel that they make the desicion themselves... and not their conciousness (which sometimes feel like a seperate individual )

I don't think it's disturbing to give people that extra mouseclick when downloading at RKO... they get lots of quality for free, so that's the least ...

So shoving ads in peoples faces will motivate them to buy stuff on their own free will?

Have you thought about going into advertising?

[Razmo]

People will be 10 times more motivated to buy stuff when they feel that they make the desicion themselves... and not their conciousness (which sometimes feel like a seperate individual )

I don't think it's disturbing to give people that extra mouseclick when downloading at RKO... they get lots of quality for free, so that's the least ...

So shoving ads in peoples faces will motivate them to buy stuff on their own free will?

Have you thought about going into advertising?

Do you want people to see C64audio.com or not?
And if it does not work showing adds, then why the hell is so many companies doing it on the internet?

I really don't see the hurt in opening a new window where the real download link for a tune is, and at the same time suggest the downloader to visit C64audio.com while they enjoy their download... now I believe that people STILL have the feature available to press that "X" in the top-right corner if they don't want to... but maybe SOME people would want to take a look a the link to C64audio.com? ... at least they will be aware of C64audio's existence.

but the site is yours Jan... do what you feel you must

[Jan Lund Thomsen]

Razmo, I'm not arguing whether advertisements work or not.

What I do disagree with is your assumption that advertising will make people buy stuff on their own free will. If you purchase something because an ad told you to, you're not acting on your own free will. If you did, you wouldn't need to have ads showed in your face in the first place.

[Razmo]

Razmo, I'm not arguing whether advertisements work or not.

What I do disagree with is your assumption that advertising will make people buy stuff on their own free will. If you purchase something because an ad told you to, you're not acting on your own free will. If you did, you wouldn't need to have ads showed in your face in the first place.

Then maybe we misunderstood each other (again again )... I'm NOT saying that making an add will make people who do not want to buy, actually buy something (I know that from myself)... What I meant was, that the adds on RKO and R64 as they are at the moment, are very "neutral" (C64audio.com banner does not tell you it's a place where you can buy C64 recordings)... and if some people visit only RKO (not everybody want to, know of, or have a reason to be a member of R64, and hear all the important scene stuff there) then it's important that they spot the advertisement... an add in their face, MIGHT atract some real buyers that do not know of 64audio.com.... that was what I meant... but there is no reason not to explain in such an add, WHY it's there... I believe that it's people's own decision if they should buy... I don't like the "moral" method of making people buy (which I think I made very clear earlier)... an add should make you aware, and direct you to the place of interrest, if you're interested... And it's the add's responsibility to make you interrested... not your own morale.

...but you have to at least spot the add, to ever get there...

[Jan Lund Thomsen]

What I meant was, that the adds on RKO and R64 as they are at the moment, are very "neutral" (C64audio.com banner does not tell you it's a place where you can buy C64 recordings)... and if some people visit only RKO (not everybody want to, know of, or have a reason to be a member of R64, and hear all the important scene stuff there) then it's important that they spot the advertisement...

True.

The banner display is hosted at Chris' end of the ether, so if he wants to change it (or even swap between numerous different banners) he's free to do so.

[Chris Abbott]

Indeed. Anyone wants to give me a banner the same size which is better, I'd be very grateful! (Kenz's one for Slay Radio was great, but it's too big in this case). I just don't have the skill with Photoshop (as Bog and Kenz know particularly well!!).

Chris

[k_rostoen]

bung a search into Google now for "c64 music".
go on.
i have Google set to display the first 100 hits.
c64audio.com is not on the first page!

put a search in for "commodore 64 music" and C64Audio.com is the 96th hit !!

how is this ??

i bet it cant help.

There is a lot that can be done to get would most likely get it higher in the search engines. The HTML is simply not very searchengine friendly. The first step in getting it higher would be to recode the whole thing, but of course, if the webshop is based on some software made by others it could be quite a lot of work.

I could probably be of help in this matter if needed, but time is always an issue here. I don't have too much of it so there is always a priority issue as well.

[Chris Abbott]

bung a search into Google now for "c64 music".
go on.
i have Google set to display the first 100 hits.
c64audio.com is not on the first page!

put a search in for "commodore 64 music" and C64Audio.com is the 96th hit !!

how is this ??

i bet it cant help.

There is a lot that can be done to get would most likely get it higher in the search engines. The HTML is simply not very searchengine friendly. The first step in getting it higher would be to recode the whole thing, but of course, if the webshop is based on some software made by others it could be quite a lot of work.

I could probably be of help in this matter if needed, but time is always an issue here. I don't have too much of it so there is always a priority issue as well.

Er, C64Audio.com is now in the middle of the second page for "c64 music" and the top of the second page for "commodore 64 music", thanks to some minor changes I made...

It's not the first page, but it's an improvement...

Chris

[k_rostoen]

That's good, but it doesn't really change the point; that coding semantically correct with (X)HTML/CSS and without tables, using the tags for what they are worth and combining them the right way, will improve results even further.

There is of course never any guarantee, but after having worked with this for quite some years now I am quite sure it should be more than possible to reach a top ten result.

Of course there are some other advantages as well, like that the page will take less time to load, that redesigning it will be easier and that userfriendlyness in general will be better.

Googling for Reyn Ouwehand results in c64audio.com on page 2, Martin Galway gave c64audio.com on page 4 (even after some warezish sites). I gave up after page 5 when searching for Rob Hubbard.

It should be possible to get all of these on page one if you do the HTML/CSS correct, along with good text of course.

[Chris Abbott]

Maybe there are some specific suggestions? The webshop software isn't by someone else any more. In fact, Ziphoid was looking at the design as a background process, but he's busy too...

Chris