Your music page on Gatefolded already works great at gatefolded.com/artist/your-name. But some artists want something that feels more theirs—a URL that matches their brand, like music.yourbandname.com or listen.yourdomain.com.
Now you can do that. Gatefolded supports custom domains, so fans visit your URL and see your artist page—your music, your bio, your links—without ever seeing gatefolded.com in the address bar.
You don't need to buy a domain through us. You don't need to move your DNS. You just point your existing domain at Gatefolded using a single CNAME record, and we handle the rest.
Why Use a Custom Domain?
For most artists, your gatefolded.com/artist/your-name URL is perfectly fine. But a custom domain makes sense if:
- You already own a domain: Maybe you bought yourbandname.com years ago and it's just sitting there pointing at a placeholder page. Now it can serve your actual music page.
- Branding matters to you: Putting music.yourdomain.com in your bio looks clean and professional. It's your name, your domain, your page.
- You want control: If you ever move platforms, your domain goes with you. Fans bookmark your URL, not ours.
- You're sending to press or labels: A custom domain on a pitch email looks more established than a third-party URL.
What You Need
Two things:
- A Gatefolded account with a public artist page already set up (you need a slug like gatefolded.com/artist/your-name)
- A domain you own, registered with any domain registrar (Namecheap, Cloudflare, Google Domains, GoDaddy, etc.)
That's it. No technical expertise required. If you can copy and paste, you can set this up.
Step-by-Step Setup
1. Choose Your Domain
You can use a subdomain (recommended) or an apex domain:
- Subdomain: music.yourdomain.com, listen.yourdomain.com, or anything.yourdomain.com. This is the easiest option and doesn't affect your main website if you have one.
- Apex domain: yourdomain.com directly. Works great if the domain isn't used for anything else.
2. Add It in Gatefolded
Go to your artist page in the dashboard. Open the Profile tab and find the Custom Domain card. Click Configure, enter your domain, and click Set Domain.
Gatefolded will show you the exact DNS record to add.
3. Add the CNAME Record
Log into your domain registrar and find the DNS settings for your domain. Add a new CNAME record:
- Type: CNAME
- Name: The subdomain part (e.g., "music" for music.yourdomain.com) or "@" for the apex domain
- Value: cname.vercel-dns.com
Save the record. That's the only DNS change you need to make.
4. Verify
Back in Gatefolded, click Verify Domain. If your DNS has propagated (usually takes 1–5 minutes, sometimes up to an hour), you'll see a green "Verified" status. If not, wait a few minutes and try again.
Once verified, your custom domain is live. SSL is provisioned automatically—your visitors get HTTPS with no extra work from you.
What Works on Your Custom Domain
Once connected, your custom domain serves:
- Your artist page: Visitors to yourdomain.com see your full artist page—bio, photo, albums, streaming links, social links, everything.
- Album share pages: Your album links work too. If you share yourdomain.com/s/album-name, listeners see the full share page with player, lyrics, and credits.
Everything else (your dashboard, settings, billing) stays on gatefolded.com. The custom domain is just for the public-facing pages your fans see.
Common Questions
Do I need to buy a domain from Gatefolded?
No. We are not a registrar. Buy your domain wherever you want (or use one you already own). You just point it at us with a DNS record.
Will this break my existing website?
Not if you use a subdomain. Pointing music.yourdomain.com at Gatefolded doesn't affect yourdomain.com at all. If you point your apex domain at Gatefolded, it will replace whatever was there before, so only do that if the domain isn't being used for a website.
What if I want to stop using the custom domain?
Click Remove in the Custom Domain settings. Your artist page still works at gatefolded.com/artist/your-name. Remove the CNAME record from your registrar and the domain goes back to whatever it was doing before.
Does it cost extra?
No. Custom domains are included in your Gatefolded subscription. The only cost is your domain registration, which you pay to your registrar (usually $10–15/year).
What about SSL?
Handled automatically. Your custom domain serves over HTTPS from the moment it's verified. Certificates are provisioned and renewed without any action on your part.
A Professional Touch That Costs Almost Nothing
A custom domain is one of those small details that makes a real difference. It says you take your music seriously. It gives fans a URL worth remembering. And it keeps your brand front and center.
If you already own a domain—or you've been meaning to grab one—connecting it to your Gatefolded artist page takes about five minutes. The setup is free, SSL is automatic, and if you ever change your mind, it's one click to undo.
Your fans should remember your name, not your platform.