Lyric searches drive huge traffic on the web. They may not be quite as popular as “Lady Gaga Download” and other similar searches but they are right up there.
There are lots of licensed sites and as usual lots of what appears to be unlicensed sites. Almost all of these sites have major brand advertising.
Many of you may not realize this but I’m also on the faculty of The University of Georgia. I teach in the Music Business Program. I spent considerable time this summer studying these sites as part of my official research duties. It’s part of a bigger project whereby I’m studying and cataloguing many of the “lesser known” kinds of copyright infringing websites.
Here is a short paper listing this months top 50 “undesirable” lyric websites as well as my methodology and further comments. It is my hope that brands and advertising agencies will consult this list when planning advertising campaigns. Suggestions are truly welcome.
You may download/view it here:
UGA Music Business Undesirable Lyric Website List*
If you don’t want to download it and read the whole thing (I’m talking to you generation tl/dr) here are the Top 50 “undesirable” lyric websites. (If for some reason you believe your website was mistakenly included in the list follow instructions in the paper. )
(Ranked by search result rankings.)
Top 50 Undesirable Lyric Websites.
(This list has been corrected. 7 sites from original list turned out to have been licensed. Thanks to Andrew Stess at LyricsFind for doing deep dive into this over a holiday weekend).
*songmeanings.Net was mistakenly included in first list. This was a typo we compared it to songmeanings.com.
** Over the weekend we were notified that these sites are also licensed:
http://www.musicsonglyrics.com
http://www.tabs.ultimate-guitar.com
May I humbly suggest that Lyric sites begin putting a notice on their sites clearly explaining which organizations and publishing companies have licensed them. At least until we manage to create a master list.
*update 10/22/2013 new list: UGA Music Business Undesirable Lyric Website List Oct 22nd 2013
The Trichordist 
Hello David,
(excuse the noob question)
Apart from the injustice that these sites earn ad revenue with the work of others, is there a direct damage to the income of the artists here? Are there ways for artists to earn money with songlyrics?
Regards,
Berend
Berend, if there weren’t so many unlicensed sites creaming money, it might be worth the publishers and/or artists time trying to monetise the lyrics. Passively, by simply having the most accurate lyrics available and then picking up the ad revenue, or more actively in some way.
Given the power of the unlicensed sites, this is practically impossible.
Michael
How would one find out whether a lyrics site is licensed? The paper mentions that azlyrics is licensed, and a correction notes that songmeanings is licensed as well, but neither site is listed as licensed by lyricsseal.
Unfortunately there is not currently a centralized list. I had to ask different publishing entities and licensing operations to get this as close as I could. I’m building my own list. Perhaps I’ll publish that as well. But it’s not that many.
(Value added or no…) Rap Genius, anyone? http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2012/10/03/inside-andreessen-horowitz-15-million-investment-in-rap-genius/