Running a lyrics site is a tricky thing. Yes, there is a ton of traffic because it's essentially built for SEO. But think about the demographics who view lyrics. Typically very young and without a credit card. Translation: advertising == lower CPMs than other demographics.

So lyric sites have to supplement traditional banners with, well, those ringtone ads.

In the case of SongMeanings, we're doing ringtone ads because our licensing agreements are very expensive. It's not cheap doing what we're doing. We're proud to be licensed, sure, but again, it's very expensive.

Heads up -- if you become a member at SongMeanings, you'll actually see fewer advertisements. It's our way of saying thanks to loyal users.

I'm certainly open ears to suggestions on how to pay for licensing while not doing ringtone adverts. Or any other suggestions on how to improve SM, too.

Mike SongMeanings