New York – Viacom's MTV Networks announced on Monday that it has partnered with Gracenote to incorporate music lyrics into its on-air, online and mobile platforms. On sites like MTV.com, VH1.com and CMT.com, users will be able to search for full song lyrics, while mobile users will be able to text an artist's name, song title or a portion of the lyrics and be sent to a mobile Internet page displaying the full lyrics.

Gracenote, which powers CD and track identification for many online music services, last year reached deals with all five major music publishers, and many smaller publishers, to legally publish song lyrics on the Internet.

Lyrics will also be integrated into a new "Name That Tune" series set to launch across all three music TV networks.

The company will also develop single and multiplayer trivia games for online and the mobile platform.

"By tightly linking lyrics with video and other curated programming, we're harnessing the full power of all of our screens to strengthen the emotional connections so many of us have with our favorite songs," said Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks' Music & Logo Group.

MTV said the lyrics elements will begin rolling out in November, continuing through the first half of 2008.

In September, MTV's websites attracted nearly 45 million unique visitors in the U.S., and nearly 92 million worldwide, according to comScore Media Metrix.

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/2loycd

http://tinyurl.com/ypzkct (DMW previous coverage)

http://www.gracenote.com