Cool

Screen capture from
Riding in Cars with Girls

Earlier this year I discovered a new band, Moi Caprice, from Denmark. My experience in listening to and acquiring their music reminded me of the power our Web sites can have in reaching out to the world at large. It also demonstrates that even a site with some (minor) design flaws can be successful if it incorporates the right elements. What follows is the process I took from first hearing the music to unwrapping an envelope from Denmark and inserting my new tunes into my Mac.

When I first heard Moi Caprice I was holding a small meeting in my office. As we chatted about Web sites, Soma FM's Indie Pop Rocks station was playing quietly on my Mac. At some point the three of us noticed that the current song was particularly catchy. I looked on screen to see who it was and wrote down the song name, Riding in Cars with Girls.

Later that day I searched iTunes to find more of their music, but alas, their music was not to be found—at the time of this post one song is now available on iTunes. Next I tried Amazon, again without luck. Finally I tried a Google search which led me to the official Moi Caprice Web page. Poking about the site, I learned:

• The band is from Denmark.
• They were the first band to hit number 1 on the Danish Alternative Chart before being signed by a label.
• They publish their lyrics online for convenient listener clarification.
• They provide streaming and downloadable videos in a variety of formats, so that site visitors can get a taste of their music, whether they prefer iTunes or Windows Media.
• I can't understand Danish, but the Media page is the only page that would require such knowledge.
• Their news page is out-of-date
• The super catchy and amusing video for Riding in Cars with Girls was directed by Oscar-winning short film director, Martin Strange-Hansen
• The site is easy to navigate—although it is hindered by the use of frames.
• Moi Caprice is working on a new album
• Despite the visuals in Riding in Cars with Girls and The Only Happy Boy in Copenhagen, the band does not appear to have an unhealthy obsession with fish.
• The site includes contact e-mails for: the band, the record label, the booking agent, and the webmaster!!!

Needless to say, the three available .mp4's were on my iPod within minutes, and I was soon watching/listening to them repeatedly. "How cool is this?" I thought. If I were dependent on the technology of 15 years past, I never would have discovered them. (Though I have heard that they've gotten some play on MTV, I don't have cable.) Yet now, because of Internet streaming radio, and a decent Web site, I was able to listen to and download songs by a band, quite popular in Denmark, but mostly unheard of in the U.S.

Of course you know what happens when you start listening to music over and over again. You want more. I needed the albums. Remembering that they had included contact info for Glorious Records, I went to that site where I found an album list and an e-mail address for ordering. I then sent a quick e-mail asking how much it would cost to buy 2 CDs and have them shipped to the States. I also did another Web search to see if they were available anywhere else. As it turns out, the Indiepop Spinzone—super place to learn about independent bands—had given both albums great reviews and was carrying them in their Popsicle Shop for $16.99 apiece.

Obsessed, yet patient, I decided to wait until I heard back from Copenhagen. A few weeks later, I received a nice message from a fellow named Ulrich, who said I could buy them for $12 apiece and order via Paypal. I did just that and my CD's arrived from Europe today—thus prompting me to write this post.

While I highly recommend Moi Caprice—particularly if you enjoy Morrissey and like your alternative euro-pop to have a hint of 80's new wave and a dash of angst—my story is meant more to demonstrate how their Web site was able to achieve it's goals of promoting the band and selling its music.

Overall the site had the information I sought and was neatly organized so that everything was easy to find. The inclusion of lyrics provided nice reference material that many bands don't even include in their liner notes. The videos let me listen immediately and take some songs to-go thus helping me to develop a taste, then a craving, for their music, which ultimately led to a purchasing decision.

While most of you aren't building sites to promote a band, I think many of the same ideas can apply. Perhaps you've created a handout that tells students how to calibrate a certain piece of lab equipment. Post it online, it's great reference material. Maybe you've recorded some of your lectures. Podcast them. Not only are they great study aids, but they also give prospective students a taste of your topic and teaching style, thus encouraging them to enroll at Case or sign-up for your class. You probably have great content already sitting on your computer, just waiting to be repurposed for your Web site.

Think about what you have and who might find it useful. Who knows, perhaps some high school student in Copenhagen will find it online and decide to study at Case to learn from your department!