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Wednesday 20th of August 2008 04:44:51 PM

A company called Lyric Culture has come up with an innovative idea for a clothing line. The company prints song lyrics on t-shirts and sweatshirts and jeans. The business was started by Hanna Rochelle Schmieder, and she pays the musicians who let her use their lyrics on her clothing. Schmeider is a singer-songwriter and is interested in giving musicians another source of income besides the tightly controlled royalties they are paid.

The song lyrics are printed on the t-shirts or other clothing, and every time a piece of clothing sells the artist is paid a royalty. Schmeider has agreements with the big music publishers and as a result has the rights to print lyrics from world class artists such as Paul McCartney and Aretha Franklin. When a song is chosen, a team of designers interprets the lyrics and creates an appropriate hand drawn design for the printed t-shirts and sweats. The lyrics are then printed both inside and outside the clothing.

In order to attract younger customers, the company has a clothing line for youthful buyers called Lyrix. Lyrix clothing is also printed with lyrics and has hand drawn designs, but the songs chosen are sung by artists that are popular with younger people such as Miley Cyrus.

Like many creative ideas, printing lyrics on clothing was inspired by accident. The company founder was writing a new song on her jeans and suddenly cam up with the idea to sell printed t-shirts. The artists are very appreciative of the opportunity to make additional royalty money, because most have sustained large losses due to internet piracy of their songs. Innovative ideas like those created by Lyric Culture generate artist revenue and promote many of the classic hits which people have enjoyed for years. For Schmeider, her company is much more than a clothing retailer. She sees her agreements with the publishing houses as being "…entrusted with the legacy of the most famous words in the world."

(c)Gus Cunh,www.sxc.hu