When it comes to breaking into the music industry, up-and-coming artists have many factors to consider. With the advancements that technology has afforded, artists now are simultaneously living in an era that has unprecedented benefits but those benefits come with challenges. Where there was a time that any artist that had dreams of getting their music published would be at the whim and mercy of a record label, now thanks to access to recording equipment and software, and the ability to self-publish, that capability has expanded.
While it’s now possible to create and upload your own music privately and there are even music video distribution services that can handle video format, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t still challenges. In fact, the ever-expanding access that independent artists have to the mainstream is itself in some ways an obstacle to overcome. Yes, you can now, without a label, produce, market, and share your music successfully to the point of financial independence even, however, the real question now is how to get your music out in front of prospective fans.
The opportunity to produce your own music and self-publish is powerful and one that has proven to be abundantly successful, the challenge comes in marketing. There are a couple of ways that artists can pursue widening their fan base with the most popular being curated playlists, or engaging certain algorithms in streaming platforms that push their music out to prospective fans. More traditional forms of marketing are still effective, however, such as touring and playing music live to creating music videos.
For many artists, the concept of creating a music video is a mini-dream and something that is very exciting to accomplish. However, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration when it comes to creating and publishing a music video. While music video distribution services make it streamlined, easy, and affordable to upload a music video to the largest streaming services, the real question revolves around cost.
The bottom line is that music videos are not only expensive, but they are also time-consuming. The investment in a music video can be more than worthwhile as this is still an incredibly popular medium and one of the few ways that an artist can visually connect with their fans; however, the question of creating a music video or not is one that takes a certain amount strategy to understand.
The good news is that there are alternatives to traditional music videos that are still effective at reaching new audiences and can be valuable, namely a lyric video. If you have been wondering about the difference between a lyric video and a music video – here is everything you need to know!
What is a Lyric Video?
So, let’s cover this first – what exactly is a lyric video and how is it different than a music video? To start, a lyric video is simply a video that contains the lyrics of a song as its main visual content. If you have ever sung karaoke, you were singing along in a form of a lyric video. These videos can be great for fans who want to learn the song’s lyrics, and they have a few key benefits.
Lyric Videos Are More Cost Effective
One of the first benefits of creating a lyric video is that you have the opportunity to make this much more cost-effective. Rather than hiring a director, film crew, and possible actors to create a music video – not to mention the massive amount of work that goes into post-production, a lyric video can be simple. While there are always ways of saving money, partnering with free services, or asking friends to help, when it comes to creating a traditional music video – a lyric video can represent significantly less overhead.
Lyric Videos Can Be Artistic
Just because a lyric video can be simple and streamlined, doesn’t mean that it can’t be visually artistic. In fact, a lyric video can still be made to fit a particular brand and be an extension of an artist’s visual medium.
Lyric Videos Reach Audiences That Don’t Use Streaming Services
Another huge benefit to lyric videos is that they reach fans that may not use traditional services like Spotify or Apple Music. While a music video distribution service can upload a lyric video to your streaming platform of choice, uploading them to YouTube allows you to reach an audience that strictly streams music from this free platform.
Conclusion
A lyric video is a great option for artists that may not have the capital or the confidence to fully commit to a traditional music video. While both have strong benefits and can reach new audiences, a lyric video is a great option for anyone who is early in the startup phase of their music or is simply looking for a more pocketbook-friendly video option to release.
