The Internet Loves Lyrics
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Every Monday, we take a look at a significant marketing trend and how it relates to the music industry. Today, we consider the impact of keywords on YouTube views. Originally sent out in our Weekly Stat email.
238%
The increase in median views that music-related Youtube videos can get when the word "lyric" is in the title.
Source: Pew Research Center
Why This Matters
After analyzing every English-language YouTube video posted by popular channels (at least 250,000 subscribers) in the first week of 2019, Pew Research found several title keywords associated with higher view counts on music-related content. The top spot: "lyric."
Lyric videos aren't exactly a new concept. Bob Dylan released his homemade cue-card video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues" way back in 1965 and many artists experimented with the style during the MTV era. When YouTube came along in 2005, lyric videos blew up as users uploaded clips pairing audio with text and images.
Taking notice of this trend, labels and artists now release lyric videos for various reasons. Sometimes, lyric videos are the official video for a single. They might also be used to tide over fans until the official video is released, racking up streams and press at the same time.
Although narrow in scope, the Pew study highlights that fans want to connect with artists on a personal level, not only by understanding their lyrics but by spreading their message. As album art and physical music formats fade away, UGC, like lyric videos, cover songs, and remixes (“cover” and “remix” are also top keywords) offer alternative ways for fans to become absorbed by a song.