For a musician, a website is more than a digital billboard. It is a working tool for the media. When a journalist at a glossy magazine, a blogger, or a festival promoter visits an artist’s website, there is usually one main goal: to find a high-quality image to use in an article or announcement.
If the image is hard to find, looks blurry after downloading, or sits inside a messy page layout, that chance for coverage can disappear.
A professional Press or EPK (Electronic Press Kit) section must handle two needs that often clash: the website must load fast (which needs small files), and print media needs top quality (which needs large files). This guide explains how to connect those two needs in a clean, technical, and user-friendly way.
Understanding the “Press Standard”: What Journalists Actually Need
Before uploading any assets, it helps to understand the people using them. A layout editor for a print magazine works with very different standards than a music blogger.
- The Blogger: Needs an image that loads quickly, looks sharp on a screen, and does not create problems for email or uploads. They need web resolution (72 DPI).
- The Magazine Editor: Needs an image that can be printed large—sometimes full-page—without becoming soft or pixelated. They need print resolution (300 DPI).
A professional musician website should support both. A common mistake in DIY web design is placing a 10MB print-ready photo directly inside a gallery page. That slows the site, hurts mobile browsing, and makes the page feel heavy and frustrating.
The Technical Trifecta: Resolution, Format, and Color Space
To make sure press photos work across screens and print, the technical details must be correct.
1) Resolution and Dimensions
“High resolution” sounds simple, but in professional use it has clear meaning:
- DPI (Dots Per Inch): Press photos must be 300 DPI. Most web images are 72 DPI.
- Pixel Dimensions: The long edge of the image should be at least 3000 pixels. This lets the image print at around 10 inches wide without losing quality.
2) File Format
TIFF files can give the best quality, but they are often too large and awkward for simple downloading. Many TIFF files can be 50MB or more, which slows everything down.
- The Standard: Use a JPEG (.jpg) with minimal compression. Saving at quality 10–12 (on a scale of 12) creates a practical balance. It keeps enough detail for print while keeping file size more manageable for download.
3) Color Space
This is a common technical problem. Screens and printers do not treat color the same way.
- Screens show color using RGB.
- Printers work with CMYK.
Recommendation: Provide images in sRGB. Modern printing workflows can convert RGB to CMYK without major trouble. But if a CMYK photo is uploaded to a website, the preview can look wrong in the browser—often dull, muddy, or with strange color shifts.
File Naming and Metadata: The Invisible Essential
A file name like DSC_00912_final_v2.jpg looks careless. It also creates real problems.
When a journalist downloads many images from different artists for a festival preview, a generic file name will get lost in a Downloads folder. File names should stay clear even when they leave the website. The file should identify the artist immediately.
Best Practice Naming Convention:
ArtistName_PhotographerName_Description.jpg
Example: TheNeonEcho_JaneDoePhoto_LiveAtTheRoxy.jpg
Metadata matters too. Using tools like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop, it is possible to embed details inside the image file. This can include copyright info, contact email, and photographer credit. That way, even if the image is shared on its own, the credit and ownership information stays with it.
User Experience (UX): Designing the Download Section
The goal is to offer a clear preview without forcing the website to load huge files. Press photos can be large, and loading them directly inside the page creates slow performance.
The Thumbnail-to-Link Strategy
High-resolution images should not be placed directly into the page HTML as full files. A better method is a two-tier approach:
- The Preview: Make a web-friendly version of the photo (for example, 800px wide, 72 DPI, around 150KB). Display this smaller version on the page.
- The Asset: Upload the high-resolution version (for example, 3000px wide, 300 DPI, 5MB+) as the download file.
- The Link: Add a clear button or text link under the preview, such as:
“Download High-Res (5MB)”
This keeps the press page fast while still giving access to the full-quality file.
Avoid the “Zip File Only” Trap
A “Download All Assets” zip file can be helpful, but it should never be the only option. Editors often need one exact image, not a huge folder.
If the only option is a 200MB zip that includes logos, stage plots, and many photos, it wastes time. Individual downloads should always be available, with the zip option offered as extra convenience.
Storage Solutions: Server vs. Cloud Hosting
Large files need a good place to live. The storage choice affects speed, limits, and download reliability.
1) Web Server (WordPress Media Library / Squarespace)
Pros: Keeps everything in one place inside the website system.
Cons: Storage can fill up quickly. Some hosts also slow down large downloads or limit bandwidth for heavy files.
Verdict: Works well for 5–10 key images.
2) Cloud Storage (Dropbox / Google Drive / AWS S3)
Pros: Often faster for downloads, handles high bandwidth better, and works well for large collections.
Cons: Can send the user off-site, depending on how the link is set up.
Verdict: Often the professional standard for larger photo sets.
Implementation: Upload the high-res file to Dropbox, generate a direct sharing link, and connect that link to the website’s “Download” button.
Protecting the Art: Credits and Usage Rights
A press section should also cover the legal side. In many cases, professional photographers keep the copyright to their work. If photos are provided to media, the expected usage must be clear.
Add a visible text block near the download area, such as:
“These images are provided for press and promotional use only. Please credit [Photographer Name] when publishing.”
By following these technical standards and UX steps, a musician website becomes more than a simple portfolio. It becomes a professional media resource. Making a journalist’s job easier is one of the strongest ways to increase the chance of being featured.