People love watching lyric videos. This has come to my attention time and time again over the years that I have worked in the music industry, in different capacities. These videos benefit both the artists and their fans. For one thing, they are generally inexpensive to produce. I’ve found that most video production companies charge anywhere from $250 to $1,000 for each video, depending on the complexity of the design. There are even companies that exclusively offer these services, like Symphonic Distribution, who charge $480 for a fully produced lyric video. These days it is possible to create your own, even with minimal skills, using programs like Adobe After Effects and iMovie. Tutorials for these programs are available from Udemy for $10 or free of charge on YouTube. It is also easy to find high quality b-roll, which are stock videos, to use as a background to the lyrics. Additionally, templates are available with pre-designed graphics, so that all you have to do is type in the lyrics and the video is ready to be viewed. Given such ready availability, there really is no excuse not to attempt one yourself.
Lyric videos are great tools for artists to utilize, particularly for their popular songs, since they can be used on big screens to accompany live performances. This has become a regular practice in churches, where the congregants no longer need to memorize each song or mumble words to the less familiar verses.
As a fan of music myself, I especially enjoy having the ability to read along with lyrics instead of trying to figure out what the artist is saying on my own. This way, instead of singing, “The ants are my friends, they’re blowing in the wind,” when listening to Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In the Wind,” I would be able to correctly recite, “The answer my friends is blowing in the wind.”
These lyric videos can also be excellent marketing tools. Often an artist will release a single as a lyric video to gauge the reception of the general public before investing additional money into a fully produced music video. Sometimes artists utilize this tool to display their creativity, presenting animations and various creative editing techniques, in addition to the typography. One group that immediately comes to mind is Beautiful Eulogy. They have used lyric videos to market every one of their songs, and include memorable typographical elements to present their lyrics.
Lyric videos are a great way to garner attention, to gain likes and subscriptions on YouTube, and to use as posts on social media platforms. Of course, they need to be high-quality ventures, standing out due to their creativity and uniqueness. The more attractive they are, the more likely people will share them, which will then result in free promotion. There is even the potential of going viral, which is rare and unpredictable, but possible. If you are a musician, or represent one as a label or an agent, I would highly suggest using lyric videos to promote your craft.