- They count towards your billboard rank
It’s true—in the same sense that songs like Harlem Shake and a certain unmentioned Rick Astley hit have managed to keep their names and products on the charts, creating lyric videos as one more piece of consumable content for your band can give any single the push it needs to crest a billboard chart. It’s so effective, in fact, that Cee-Lo Green’s F**k You was given the boost it needed by a (cheaply constructed) lyric video put together at the last second by a professional marketing team using a free editor. I’m not kidding, there’s an Article in The Atlantic about the whole ordeal.
- They are incredibly cost effective
Chances are: if you own a computer, you either have access to Windows Movie Maker or iMovie. Both of these are not only free, but the perfect outfit for doing simple typography videos over a song of your choosing. Sure, they might not be the most efficient workhorses. They’re no Renderforest or After Effects, but they’re free—and that’s the industry standard when you’re a low budget indie musician.
- They encourage new fans to be able to sing along.
One of the most frustrating things for new bands on the scene is getting that audience rally that really proves to be the payoff for most touring endeavors. And sure, every once in a while a song like We Will Rock You comes along and it is an unmistakable sing and clap along anthem. For bands and artists working with less than the visionary minds of Queen behind every release (and the marketing teams at a big label to boot) a lyric video is a simple solution to a difficult question: “How do we teach potential fans our lyrics in a format easy enough for them to google and absorb before our next concert?”
- Marketing, Marketing, Marketing!
When you finally get around to putting together your EPK (Electronic Press Kit) to send to potential labels and agencies, every piece of digital marketability you can muster is the difference between getting signed and getting lost in a stack of other well-deserved but underprepared artists. Lyric videos– along with well mastered albums, professional music videos, and catchy, radio friendly singles—Are a real clincher for potential representation to realize that you as an artist or band are doing everything you can and, as such, are a good investment for them to move forward with.
