Google and a Toronto-based company called LyricFind have both confirmed a deal that will bring song lyrics directly to search results. As Billboard confirmed, the ink on the deal is dry and the new lyrics feature will begin rolling out to users in the United States on Tuesday.
This is more than just a big win for LyricFind, which will undoubtedly pull in some nice additional cash as a result. It’s also more than a win for Google, which takes yet another step toward realizing a future where users never actually have to leave Google’s own sites and apps. Music publishers and songwriters will also see benefits from the deal, according to LyricFinder CEO and co-founder Darryl Ballantyne.
“It should be a significant revenue stream,” Ballantyne told Billboard. “I can’t get into the rates, but we expect it to be millions of dollars generated for publishers and songwriters as a result of this. It’s all based on usage. Royalties are paid based on the number of times a lyric is viewed. The more it’s viewed, the more publishers get paid.”