Image by Julia Roy via Flickr
It goes without saying that Tumblr has been gaining in popularity recently. Many of the (micro)blogging platform’s users swear by it for its simplicity and snazzy themes, most of which are available for free. WordPress has been a favorite for the majority of people have self-hosted blog websites. That is why it makes sense to do a comparison to give you a good idea, which is the best option for the serious music act. It is my opinion that both should be used, but the strategies for usage should be different.
For my Tumblr site (hubertsawyers.com), I used to have Shelf (affiliate link). As I like to lead by example, please do not expect to be impressed by my posts. I have gone back to the drawing board with my usage of Tumblr. I hope that my explanation of the pros and cons for both WordPress and Tumblr will be helpful to us both in figuring out how to best use the services.
Which is Better for Musicians?
WordPress (.com or self-hosted)
Pros
- Easy to use
- Open source (self-hosted)
- Thousands of themes for a customized look or feel
- Thousands of plugins to do just about anything you can imagine
- Tons of support from web hosts
Cons
- If you are not web savvy, there may be some headache in getting acclimated
- Similar to maintaining a home, it takes work
Tumblr
Pros
- Ease of Use
- Social Connectivity
- Content Feed
- Mobile-Friendly
- Ask Function
- Growing Community / Popular
Cons
- Not open source
- Goes down constantly
- Sharing and comment features are awkward
WordPress vs Tumblr – The Final Verdict
If you are just starting out with your first website and you are new to things like blogging, then Tumblr is a great training option. Tumblr will get you in the habit of engaging with other micro-bloggers, which may acclimate you in an addictive way. It will spoil you with having everything in one nice dashboard. When you realize you need to optimize your site to build an e-mail list or have a place for your electronic press kit, then you will have outgrown Tumblr.
WordPress is great as an all-around website option. You may need to hire someone to help you build your ideal site, but the investment will be worth it. The potential for your site will be endless and if you pick the right web hosting company, then your site will rarely go down like with Tumblr.
For well-built WordPress and Tumblr themes, consider Theme Foundry. Tell them Hubert Sawyers III sent you!