LyricWeb
Check out the new book on Tantric Sexuality by the author of the LyricWeb!
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Search for Lyrics |
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The key to the LyricWeb is the use of two keywords in searches of the web. Simply search for the keywords "lyricweb" and "freelyrics" as well as any keywords for what you are looking for (artist name, album title, song title, song lyrics, etc.) You can use these handy forms below, which already have the keywords typed in. (If you erase them, don't forget to retype them or the search won't work!)
(Note: some browsers will cover forms up with the black background. For a quick fix, just scroll this section up and off the screen, and then down to make the forms visible.)
No luck? Try looking at these other lyrics sites.
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Lyrics Access as a Freedom of Information Issue |
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In 1996, a provider of a WWW lyrics database was threatened with legal action if he did not remove the database from the Web. Because legal battles against corporations can be costly and time-consuming regardless of who is right and who is wrong, it is understandable that this individual complied and removed the database.
When this happened, a valuable resource was lost. Song lyrics are an integral part of culture, and anything which helps us to access them can help us to understand both our culture and ourselves.
We copy and trade information all the time, and quite legally. It is not illegal to tape an album, audio tape or video tape for personal use or for non-commercial distribution (a gift to a friend, for example). Itis not illegal to make a video tape copy of a television show for personal use or for non-commercial distribution (like taping a football game for your dad). It is not currently illegal to copy pages out of a book for personal use or for non-commercial distribution.
Song lyrics are no different. If you wish to make a copy of the lyrics to a song for your own purposes, feel free. Just don't try selling the copies to anyone -- that is illegal. Only non-commercial distribution of copyrighted material is allowed.
So what's the problem?
Even though non-commercial song lyrics databases are not illegal, people who maintain them can be threatened with legal action. No one likes to be threatened, even if the threat may turn out to be an empty one. Why risk going to court (and wasting time and money) when simply taking the information off the Web is so much easier? As long as single individuals or organizations are responsible for databases, it will be easy for corporate lawyers to apply pressure in order to censor them.
An experiment in information access
If the problem is that individuals are vulnerable, then the solutionis to make a database that is not controlled by any one individual. This is the core idea of LyricWeb. LyricWeb is the name of a way in which information may be stored on the Web in a dispersed, yet easily accessable fashion. By placing the control of the information with many, many different individuals,the tactic of using legal threats becomes useless. Successful implementation of LyricWeb will demonstrate the impossibility of censoring information that is of wide interest and which is being provided for non-commercial purposes.
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A challenge to the music industry! |
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This is an open letter to anyone in the music industry who is able to make actual decisions.
Dear Sir or Madam,
Wake up... the web is here, and it's not going to go away. This site has been threatened with legal action by music industry lawyers, and it all turned out to be a lot of bluff. Legal action is not going to make people stop putting lyrics up on their pages. The web is too large to police.
So maybe you are worried... the revenue you get for selling reprint rights to lyrics magazines isn't much, but money is money and you have to protect what is yours, right? Well, forget about it. I have an idea that will make more money for you than you could have ever dreamed, and I'm going to give it to you for free. Tell your boss. Let's get this thing going.
The idea is this: make a web site with ALL of your company's lyrics on it, easily accessible. Place all sorts of ads for your latest products on it, of course. But then, when someone looks up lyrics on the site, you give them a link that allows them to ORDER THE CD that the song they looked up is on! Talk about your targetted advertising; you already KNOW they are interested. So, go tell your boss, and I promise not to tell anyone where you got the idea.
Sincerely,
Peter L. Schuerman
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Lyrics Sites on the Web |
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If you can't find what you are looking for here, please try these sites, or browse the Lyrics Ring.
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Join the LyricWeb |
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Joining
the effort to make lyrics more accessible on the web is simple. If you
have lyrics you want to make available, just set up a web page with those
lyrics on it.
1. For every page you make that has lyrics on it, or at least onevery page where you index the lyrics on your pages, put the keywords "lyricweb"and "freelyrics" somewhere on the page(s). A good way to do thisis to put the following in the <HEAD> section of the document: <META name="keywords" content="lyricweb freelyrics">
2. Include the following information on your page or site: Lyrics provided for academic research purposes only. Commercial use is prohibited.
3. Register your page(s) with the major search engines:
4. Feel free to steal the small LyricWeb logo for use on your pages. You might want to use it in a link to this page.
5. If you would like, submit your main URL and your email address to this site, and in the comment section include the word "subscribe". You will be added to a mailing list which will keep you updated on any changes or news related to the LyricWeb.
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The Lyrics Ring |
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The Lyrics Ring is an independent collection of links between lyrics sites on the web. All Lyrics Ring members are encouraged to put the LyricWeb keywords on their pages to allow even more people to find their lyrics archives.
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This Lyrics Ring site is owned by The LyricWebHome
Page. Want to join the ring? Click here for info. |
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