U2.com vs. PearlJam.com - A Website Comparison

wish4Utoday

I've been a long time Pearl Jam fan. But I have to admit, this band (or whomever manages this portion of the business) has never been able to hit the nail on the head when it comes to the band's online strategy. The following items can serve as high-level points:

- Overall Online Strategy
- Website Design
- Website Reliability
- Dissemination of High-Quality Premium Content via the Website

It just isn't good enough for the level of the this Pearl Jam's popularity which directly corresponds to the amount of money Pearl Jam brings in as a business entity. It just doesn't fit.

I understand things take time and that PearlJam.com has made some much needed improvements in the digital space as of recent. But when compared to a band of similar stature (I'll use U2 for my example) you begin to see major shortcomings when comparing the items I've mentioned above. U2 is clearly exploring the power and viability of having a well designed, articulate website loaded with premium content for its fans. Items in particular:

- High Quality Video
- High Quality Photo Galleries
- A section dedicated to 'Sound + Vision'
- A high-quality tours section
- .com municate section
- Integration of Google Earth in previewing venues (stadiums) for fans

The items above serve as specific examples. In general, the design of the U2 site is one of the best I've seen. Take a few minutes to explore U2.com and decide for yourself. Another band of note that does well with it's online strategy is Staind - who's site is again, loaded with premium content for its fans; all delivered with a killer design and clear strategy.

I wont get into the aspects of having good information architecture, a proper CMS (content management system) and other elements that represent powerful online design - very few of which PearlJam.com pays any attention to. And if you've been a Pearl Jam fan for a number of years you've definitely battled with the infamous 'site crashes' during periods of peak traffic/site usage - which the band is known worldwide for.

I understand that how much time and money a band puts into its website is completely up to the band itself and most likely the bands management also. In the end its all about the music and I'm sure some will argue and say that we should be thankful Pearl Jam even has a website. I would've agreed with that more about 5 yrs ago, but today its a hard fact to believe. It would just be nice to see a band of Pearl Jam's level really grab hold of the now not so new digital era's horns and deliver a killer online experience for its fans.

joewalshdc

I must admit...im a member of both...pearl jam is more than a band to me...u2 i love...so lets just say PJ is my number one...you are totally right...u2 have hit so many bases with their fan site and interaction from tours, merch, everything really...I would love to have a more interactive pj site...

dharma69

There's no comparison.

In the interest of brevity...U2.com sucks. I'd really be surprised if you found any of it's regular users who had anything positive to say about the website. Myself included.

As far as it being one of the best websites you've ever seen, I don't know what you have or haven't seen but as a former regular user of U2.com (and I say former because everyone has practically migrated to FaceBook), the place is a waste of time and a veritable ghost town. Finally they have embraced giving the paying members something that alludes to being worth the price of admission but they still fall short of the mark. When free fan sites like atU2.com and Interference.com constantly update and have band news a week before the official website does...Houston, we have a problem. Hell, I've recommended to them that they check out this site to learn how to do the simple things well. The newest incarnation of U2.com tried to do too much to soon (kind of an Obama-esque) and the melding with Live Nation didn't help matters but bless them for finally hearing us as we screamed that there's nothing of interest to look at or listen as far as content on the website of the supposedly biggest band in the world.

From people who STILL can't access their accounts, to features that don't work, to spam blogs about porn, to gif avatars that don't work, to signature lines, to...

And when the websites very own moderators bellyache about the site and encourage members to complain or else nothing will change...well, there you go. I've heard it all.

I love U2. I hate U2.com.

AmherstJammer

Most U2 fans HATE U2.com... me included.

Paul Andrews

Keep in mind, PearlJam.com uses an open source content management system called drupal which is free. I'm not sure what u2.com uses but it is vastly different. I agree there could be more content but i think they have gone for more a fan based content sharing approach via fan submission to youtube et al. This is how the band want it and we should all be cool with this.

Comparing u2 and pearljam is not really fair as u2 have become a massive multi-media steam train, while pearl jam appear to be trying to keep things lower key and focusing on the music and at the end of the day, pearl jam have always been about the music. I've never been to a u2 show - but would never ever miss pearl jam because it is about the music and a rock show - not a musical circus. Having said that I will be seeing ac/dc and kiss in October and believe these bands now to be 'rock'n'roll circuses' so that was not a put down at u2.

Each to their own but I don't think the site nor the management of it deserves to be compared to a totally different product and business model.

http://pauljam.com :My Rocktober 2009 blog (and most of my other projects) uses joomla which is quite similar in many ways to drupal. For simplicity of use, cost benefits and innovation, systems like these are the future of web development. I applaud 10c's use and suport of this system of open source software.

I'm just happy to be slowly going deaf because of the music - I'll let other things send me blind.

Peace

RightSaidVed

would not go to u2.com if you paid me. If the site is anything like the band I can just imagine how much it would suck over there. I will never understand the love for these corporate sell outs.

Oh and I'm very happy with the way things are run over here on the Pearl Jam side of things by the way.

ARazorbackguy1

YEah, I kinda like the membership fee from PJ.com over U2.com.

Much more content on website = Much more $$ from the customer.

Not only that, but U2 has a MUCH larger fan base and needs a much more complex page to handle the traffic.

Paul Andrews

ARazorbackguy1 wrote:

Not only that, but U2 has a MUCH larger fan base and needs a much more complex page to handle the traffic.

This website should be able to handle the same traffic as U2. Open Source software doesn't mean poor software. If configured correctly on quality servers, these systems are great.

The joomla and drupral 'communities' are the kind of projects I'm glad Pearl Jam support. I'm willing to accept the odd bump in the website because their support of dupral helps out a lot of small time developers, artists and programmers and drive a lot of innovation on the web. These programs have bought serious website control to the hands of the people.

12345AGNST1

I just looked and i think there site layout is just like pearl jams site layout. I really dont see the whole extra interactivity thing.

Bathgate66

I'm a member on both websites / and or forums .
They are 2 different animals ,
but each serves its overall purpose
as a conduit between the fans and the band(s) .

The overall layout of the U2 site has already metamorphosed
many times,
as compared to the PJ website staying more the same
( that is until very recently with the new Backspacer themes )
i guess coinciding with their respective new album releases .

corduroykelly

You forgot to mention you pay ridiculous prices for everything U2 like the t-shirts on pearl jam.com majority are 16 on U2.com 30.

Bathgate66

corduroykelly wrote:

You forgot to mention you pay ridiculous prices for everything U2 like the t-shirts on pearl jam.com majority are 16 on U2.com 30.

true i forgot
perhaps that any of my money
that i dont really have to begin with
goes to 10C for all my PJ goodies.



:roll: :roll:
big deal i get a 1 time discount at U2.com before i get anything else
:ugeek: :ugeek:

helplessdancer

Paul Andrews wrote:

This website should be able to handle the same traffic as U2. Open Source software doesn't mean poor software. If configured correctly on quality servers, these systems are great.

The joomla and drupral 'communities' are the kind of projects I'm glad Pearl Jam support. I'm willing to accept the odd bump in the website because their support of dupral helps out a lot of small time developers, artists and programmers and drive a lot of innovation on the web. These programs have bought serious website control to the hands of the people.

cool stuff i didnt know

u2.com email system is pathetic

tho i like the being able to access any tune from any cd on u2's site. sound&vision good+ as well

u2 charge $250 for concert tickets. pj don't.

cannotstaylong

I will not claim to be familiar at all with U2's site, as I only just checked it out for the first time. However, I disagree with the OP's opinion of that site compared to Pearl Jam's.

First off, U2's site has such a corporate and cold feel to it. The main page also seems entirely cluttered, and I found myself having to spend a good deal of time just getting oriented on the homepage. In that regard Pearl Jam's site seems much easier to navigate.

I will grant you the fact that U2 offers more multimedia interaction and stuff of that sort, but I think they sacrifice a certain ease of use by adding so many options. It certainly is nice to have all of those options available at your fingertips, but it really just feels to cluttered.

On the whole, I find Pearl Jam's website to be much more personal. It is more straightforward on the homepage, which makes it seem more accessible and inviting to me.

Other than that, I am entirely unfamiliar with U2's website, so I cannot comment on their email notifications or anything of that sort.

To each his/her own.

samnation

They key thing that one needs to remember is that U2 is "Powered by Signatures Network, a Live Nation Company." Pearl Jam has gone to great lengths to establish their own DIY organization that independently runs their fan club, web site, and retail operation. Sure it's rough around the edges but I appreciate the fact that they have made the choice to keep these important and vital parts of their operation in-house and 100% under their control, ESPECIALLY now that they have chosen to no longer be singed to a major record label.

In many ways this strategy is much better for the fans and the band than handing it over to a major corporation who is doing your website/fan club/retail right along with Shakira and Britney Spears, and who ultimately couldn't care less for you as a fan except when it comes to how many $30 t-shirts they can shove down your throat. I understand WHY a band like U2 hands it off, but I don't agree with it.

Things like videos and high-quality content are completely up to the band. If Pearl Jam wanted a ton of video content on their site, I'm sure they would make it happen. So that's an artistic decision on their part and I respect it.

There is more to come with PearlJam.com. It's changed a great deal over the past year and I'm sure that's not going to stop any time soon.

Paul Andrews

samnation wrote:

They key thing that one needs to remember is that U2 is "Powered by Signatures Network, a Live Nation Company." Pearl Jam has gone to great lengths to establish their own DIY organization that independently runs their fan club, web site, and retail operation. Sure it's rough around the edges but I appreciate the fact that they have made the choice to keep these important and vital parts of their operation in-house and 100% under their control, ESPECIALLY now that they have chosen to no longer be singed to a major record label.

In many ways the dupral, joomla (and others open source cms) projects are designed to do just this - allow people to manage their own websites in house with minimal programming knowledge or experience. It is simply amazing what these systems can achieve and this site is a great example.

Two thumbs up PJ!