Rebuild Record Label Website as Digital Archive (“Museum”) + Shopify Integration (ExpressionEngine Migration, Next.js + Headless CMS)

Project Description

I am rebuilding the website for my record label and archival synth music resource, Minimal Wave (minimalwave.com).

The current site runs on ExpressionEngine with a custom FoxyCart integration and integrated forum. The new site will replace ExpressionEngine entirely with a modern, future-proof architecture while preserving all content, URLs, and visual identity.

This is primarily a rebuild and migration, not a visual redesign. The existing aesthetic, typography, and layout should be preserved and faithfully recreated using modern frontend technology, while improving performance, maintainability, and archival functionality.

The new site serves two equally important purposes:

• a museum-style digital archive documenting artists, releases, and archival material
• an integrated Shopify storefront selling vinyl records and merchandise

The archive is the core of the project.

Required Technical Architecture (preferred)

Frontend:
Next.js (or equivalent modern framework)

CMS:
Sanity preferred, or equivalent headless CMS capable of relational content modeling

Commerce:
Shopify backend for inventory and checkout
Products displayed within the custom frontend, with Shopify handling checkout

Migration:
Full content migration from ExpressionEngine CMS
Forum conversion to read-only archive

Hosting:
Vercel, Netlify, or equivalent modern hosting platform

Visual Design Requirements

This is not a redesign.

The existing visual design should be preserved and faithfully implemented. Improvements should focus on performance, responsiveness, search, and archival functionality rather than changing the visual identity.

Content types should power relational browsing internally, but the public navigation should remain curated and user-friendly, similar to a museum archive rather than a database interface.

Minor UX improvements are welcome, but typography, layout, and overall aesthetic should remain consistent with the current site.

Archive / CMS Requirements

The CMS must support structured archival content types, including:

• Artists
• Releases (catalog number, credits, tracklists, liner notes, images)
• Tracks
• Essays / editorial content
• Ephemera (archival scans, flyers, photos)
• Videos
• Tags / scenes / categories

Content must be relational.

For example:

• Artists must link to releases
• Releases must link to artists, tracks, and related archival material
• Essays must link to artists and releases
• Ephemera must link to relevant artists or releases

The CMS must allow easy editing and management by a non-technical user.

Required: Explain Your Content Modeling Approach

In your proposal, please explain how you would structure the CMS schema for the following relational content types:

• Artist
• Release
• Track
• Ephemera (archival scans, flyers, photos)
• Video (music videos, interviews, archival footage)
• Editorial (essays / interviews)

Please describe how relationships between these entities would be modeled and queried.

This is a critical requirement.

Search Requirements

Site must include fast, accurate search across all archival content, including:

• artists
• releases
• tracks
• catalog numbers
• editorial content

Search must return results quickly and allow intuitive discovery.

Shopify Integration Requirements

Shopify will manage:

• product inventory
• checkout
• payments
• shipping and taxes

Products must be displayed seamlessly within the custom frontend.

Checkout should transition smoothly to Shopify without disrupting the user experience.

ExpressionEngine Migration Requirements

Developer must:

• Export ExpressionEngine content
• Transform and import content into the new CMS
• Preserve all metadata and relationships
• Preserve URLs where possible
• Provide a complete 301 redirect map

Forum must be converted into a read-only archive and preserved.

Performance Requirements

• Fast page load times
• Mobile-optimized
• Clean, maintainable architecture
• No broken links or missing media after launch
• SEO preserved through proper redirects and structure

Deliverables

• Fully functional new website
• CMS configured and accessible
• Shopify integration completed
• ExpressionEngine content migrated
• Forum archive preserved
• Redirect map implemented
• Deployment setup (production and staging)
• Documentation for managing content

Required Experience

Please include:

• Links to relevant archive, museum, or content-heavy websites you have built
• Experience with Next.js or similar modern frontend frameworks
• Experience with headless CMS platforms (Sanity preferred)
• Experience with CMS migration projects

Timeline

Flexible, but expected timeline is approximately 6–10 weeks depending on scope.