Start-Up Acquisition is Music to Ears of BBA-EMBA Duo

Alan Juristovski and Milun Tesovic of MetroLyrics.

MetroLyrics, with strong Beedie roots, brings the words of Beatles, Bublé and Bieber songs to web browsers everywhere.

The recent acquisition of a wildly successful Burnaby based start-up by one of the world’s largest entertainment companies is music to the ears of Simon Fraser University’s entrepreneurship community.

MetroLyrics.com, the most comprehensive database of music lyrics in the world with longstanding roots at SFU, along with its company assets, have been integrated into CBS Interactive Music Group. The site is the flagship property of MetroLeap Media Inc., a start-up co-founded by Beedie School of Business undergraduate student Milun Tesovic and EMBA graduate Alan Juristovski. Both have also been active participants in SFU Venture Connection, which provides support to student entrepreneurs at the university.

With words to more than 700,000 songs, the MetroLyrics site generates over 25 million unique users a month across the globe, with nearly 12 million of those in the United States alone. CBS Interactive Music Group said the MetroLyrics deal will help it to expand its audience and create additional revenue sources.

“Lyrics have been one of the most searched keywords on the Internet for several years,” says Juristovski, “We have realized the power of lyrics and built the most trafficked lyrics website in the world. Integration with CBS Interactive Music Group will provide consumers with an enhanced music experience, while allowing MetroLyrics to aggressively pursue laser focused innovation relevant to our core product.”

News of the MetroLyrics deal has been applauded across Simon Fraser University.

“As we are with so many of our students and alumni who embrace and excel in entrepreneurship, we are extremely proud of what Milun and Alan have accomplished — both within the Beedie School of Business and beyond, by taking MetroLyrics to an extraordinary level of success,” said Daniel Shapiro, Dean of SFU’s Beedie School of Business.

Milun and Alan continue to be active supporters of the Beedie School of Business, participating on competition juries, workshop panels and as guest speakers.

Besides the co-founders, other members of the MetroLyrics team have strong roots at SFU and Beedie. Based on his positive experience in SFU’s Executive MBA program, Juristovski encouraged his wife Radmila (now vice-president of sales and marketing at MetroLyrics) to enroll in SFU’s unique Management of Technology MBA. Michelle Bailey, Manager of Sales and Marketing at the firm, also graduated from SFU’s full-time MBA program.