Deezer introduces search by lyrics tool

The tool is available globally for both free and paying subscribers, with the exception of Kids profiles. Users can type a minimum of four words from the song’s lyrics in the search bar to find their desired track.

“Music fans have millions of songs at their fingertips,” Deezer chief product and technology officer Matthieu Gorvan said. “Recalling some of the lyrics is often easier than remembering the actual name of a track. Our job is to make sure that listeners get to the tunes they want quickly and easily and our new advanced ‘search by lyrics’ feature delivers on that promise.”

Prior to the new feature, users could only search for lyrics through an advanced desktop search or on the old lyrics website, but now subscribers can search in app and via the web users, and the tool will soon be extended to the desktop app.

The service will be useful in situations where users know the lyrics of a song but not its name. Most users typically search the web for lyrics to find the name of a song, and the move could reduce traffic to lyric sites like Musixmatch and Genius.

In 2014, Deezer partnered with LyricFind to offer the first-ever implementation of synchronised lyrics on a major streaming platform. LyricFind provided lyrics in both synchronised, or sing-along lyrics and display modes to Deezer, letting users choose their lyric experience. Their sing-along mode allows users to see each line in sync with the music, and their score mode displays all the lyrics on the screen so users can read the words at their own pace.

The move brings Deezer on par with some other major music streaming services. Apple Music launched a similar feature on iOS 12 a few years ago and Spotify rolled it out in October last year.

Meanwhile, US tech giant Google in October introduced its hum-to-search feature, which can identify a song by listening to the user humming a few notes.