BAD: Music on Websites

A short rant on a pet peeve:

I do not like music on visual art websites. Although I love music, and I love visual art and visiting artist’s websites, I hate it when a site includes a sound track. Music on an artist’s website says to me that the artist lacks confidence that her or his work will engage us and so music is added to “seduce” the visitor’s soul. Music on an artist’s website feels like a cheat.

Can you imagine an artist getting an appointment with a gallery director or curator and presenting their work with a sound track? I cannot (unless, of course, it is an integral part of an installation and has curatorial merit). Yet, music is increasingly used as a part of websites. I say, don’t use it—let your art stand for itself and engage our emotions, not the music that is usually the work of someone else.