Guest Post by Caroline of Culture Coverage

When everyone is scrambling to bring more to the table, lyric videos pop up to prove to the industry that less is not only better but also incredibly effective. Cropping up as fan posted videos long before they became a thing emulated by artists, lyric videos harken back to days of Bob Dylan, but the contemporary counterpart of Cee Lo Green and his breakout hit “F*ck You” is attributed for breaking the ice this time. And from there, the videos only get edgier, but no less aggressive, at grabbing viewers and getting them to hit replay in the millions.

For bands and artists looking to make it to the big time with a small time budget, here’re a couple of reasons why the lyrics video should be your next project.

1. Big Budget Films

Lyric videos have a natural segue into the industry to keep fans content while bigger budget, artistic music videos were being made. Lyric videos for artists such as Katy Perry were essentially just created as placeholders until the big bucks could be dropped on making groundbreaking artistic music films.

But in the case of artists such as Adele and her Skyfall single, the lyric videos brought in the big bucks up front, and for indie artists, landing on movie soundtrack can be a big deal, even if it’s just for an opening. Why the love for the lyrics? Fans love being able to sing along, and with a lyric video, it’s taking the place all those ugly lyric websites and put what the artist has to say right in the forefront. What’s better than that?

2. Social Media Madness

Ever since Facebook and Instagram updated their platforms, lyric videos have become the new gateway to followers. Since the move to instant video play while scrolling through a feed, Facebook and Instagram have pushed viewers to respond to images and the overlaid words in a new way—even if it’s a music video intended for sound.

While music videos used to be most concerned with the best sound, now they have to be concerned with the triple threat of sound, visual and words because viewers are getting sucked in by sight alone and getting more hits than videos that forego the lyrics overlaying the images. While it may seem backward, words are getting back into the mainstream as indicators of whether you’ll like the content (and as a writer I see this as a good thing).

For new artists, don’t worry about having the best video first, worry about getting the lyrics out there. With royalties you can get from your songs being attached to photos (check out #3), you can fund a bigger project by creating a lyric video first. And the good news? Even lyric videos can go viral.

3. YouTube Changed the Game

Before the internet, music came on records, often with no lyrics, and the only visuals to accompany the sound were those that came on the jacket cover. YouTube’s crop into the music industry radically changed that forever, and lyric videos are taking their share of the fame and fortune.

When access to the world’s population is no longer a problem (thanks to my Virtual Private Network for that), videos can rack in the numbers simply by existing—and that’s exactly what they’ve done. While online radio players have skyrocketed, YouTube has done the same, giving access to millions to free music at their fingertips. And it’s not just the “official” version that’s playing, but the fan made ones too. Now we’re even starting to see the artist made videos that sometimes leak online long before they make it to streaming companies. Thanks to the boom, “Best Lyric Video” is now a category at the VMA’s, making it a cash cow all on its own.

When new artists get onto this trend, they can see big results in a short period of time. So ask your friend who’s getting married to post their wedding video with your song attached to it—YouTube will start sending you bigger checks with each video hit.

From updates on social media to the contribution of YouTube, it’s a worldwide trend that’s about to hit the big times, so stay tuned for more—we’re sure Justin Bieber has much more left in him!

About the Author: Caroline is an entertainment blogger, who specializes in all things music and soundtracks. She hopes these insights into the world of lyric videos will make your listening experiences that much more entertaining. You can find Caroline on Twitter at @CultureCovC