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Innova: Migrating a Mission-Driven Music Platform to WordPress

A Drupal-to-WordPress multisite migration on Southleft's Northright theme, unifying three brands under one backend.

Content ModelingFront-End DevelopmentNorthrightWordPress Music & Nonprofit · 2024
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A fresh start on WordPress

Innova’s Drupal site was difficult to manage and out of step with their publishing needs. As part of a larger initiative by American Composers Forum, we migrated Innova, American Composers Forum, and I Care If You Listen into a unified WordPress multisite setup. This allowed the organization to manage three distinct brands from a shared backend—simplifying long-term maintenance while preserving flexibility.

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Powered by Northright

We used Northright, Southleft’s in-house WordPress theme, to give the new sites a modern, performant, and accessible foundation. For Innova, we customized the theme tokens to match their existing brand while keeping the benefits of our modular, scalable architecture. Northright’s design system allowed us to move quickly and maintain consistency across multiple sites.

Smarter migration

Migrating from Drupal required more than a basic content import. We wrote custom scripts to restructure and clean up legacy content, ensuring that it mapped cleanly into WordPress and worked within the new block-based editor. The end result was a clean editorial experience for the Innova team—with no need for major post-migration cleanup.

The Result: A Site That Speaks Volumes

The Innova site launched on time, alongside the other properties in the multisite network. The new system is easier to use, easier to update, and built for long-term flexibility. Post-launch, the Innova team continues to work with us for ongoing support and enhancements.

Testimonial

Everything was so smooth. You set clear expectations, respected our nonprofit budget, and managed complex feedback diplomatically. Everyone left the experience happy, which is rare. We’re so glad we’re staying with you for ongoing maintenance.

Amanda Cook
Director of Publications

Explore Northright

Looking for a faster, more flexible WordPress experience? Northright is Southleft’s custom theme built for performance, accessibility, and scalability. See how it can support your next site build.
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