Music and sounds on a website: FOR and AGAINST

What is the main difference between the internet and television? The web makes no sound. Using a computer is like using a book — sit and read, or write. An ordinary book makes no sound. Neither does an ordinary computer, apart from its fans. People often play their own music while working at a computer, or enjoy good old silence.

Imagine the situation:

Someone is sitting peacefully at the computer. Silence. The cat is asleep. The hamster philosophically chews its food.
A young mother has been rocking her baby for two hours and has almost reached a peaceful agreement with the little one.

Then someone accidentally visits Arkady Supersite's website. The page loads slowly… And suddenly, at full volume:

— 🎵 “MAMA LYUBA, COME ON, COME ON!”

The cat jumps as though possessed by an electrician. The hamster spins its wheel at jet-engine speed. Someone upstairs drops a stool — just in case. The baby opens its eyes. A second of silence. Then a scream so powerful it sounds as though the tiny person is summoning an ancient demon.

The mother slowly turns towards the room where someone was “just browsing the internet”. Her eyes already say:
criminal law, divorce, and a desire to find Arkady Supersite personally.

The person frantically searches for an off button. There is none. The music simply exists. Like mosquitoes in summer.

Somewhere, a pleased Arkady Supersite sits thinking:
“I could also make the cursor a flying butterfly that flies away as soon as it is aimed precisely at a button, sending visitors anywhere except where they wanted to go…”

Nevertheless, many websites today use background music or play an audio introduction when visitors arrive.

Sounds on a website! This should be avoided for several reasons:

• the visitor is not prepared for the website to make sounds;
• the visitor is playing their own music; background music can almost never be turned off;
• website sound is rarely of good quality;
• when moving to another page, the music disappears at the worst moment — an effect even worse than listening to a taxi radio whose driver switches stations every two seconds looking for a good song;
• music on a website has zero meaningful or functional value;
• the web is a medium for text and visual information. Sound belongs in Flash introductions, where the action is connected to sound, or in audio formats usually played with specialised programs.

Sound has a place on a website if:

• visitors are given the choice of whether they want to listen to the website;
• it conveys meaning, which happens extremely rarely.

Rule: sounds and music must not be used on the internet for decorative purposes.