Dear Spotify Community,
As a long-time curator on Musixmatch, I wanted to bring attention to an issue that has been deeply frustrating for myself and many others within the Musixmatch curator community. For over a year, I’ve actively contributed to improving the quality of lyrics across multiple platforms, including Spotify, by adding and fixing countless song lyrics. However, recent changes in Musixmatch’s practices have raised serious concerns, and I believe it’s time Spotify reconsiders its partnership with them.
Over the past 3-4 months, Musixmatch has stopped publishing curator-verified lyrics to third-party platforms like Spotify and Apple Music unless the lyrics are contributed through their new “Mission” system. While this system rewards curators with monetary incentives for completing selected lyrics missions, it has effectively locked out non-mission contributions. This means that curators who want to continue contributing to improving the lyric database without chasing monetary rewards are unable to have their work published on Spotify or other platforms.
This shift has transformed Musixmatch from a collaborative, community-driven platform into a company more focused on monetizing contributions, and it feels like a monopoly. They’ve essentially locked down lyrics distribution to serve their financial interests at the expense of the broader curator community and platforms like Spotify, which rely on the accuracy and availability of these lyrics for their users.
As one fellow curator put it, "They locked non-mission contributions just so that they can make money, and that’s what a monopoly company will do." This sentiment echoes the frustration of many of us who’ve dedicated countless hours to making music more accessible through lyrics, only to find ourselves sidelined unless we contribute through this narrow and financially driven system.
Another curator shared: “I’ve spent months ensuring lyrics were correct, and now all my contributions are stuck in limbo. I refuse to participate in their ‘missions’ where only select songs are chosen. It feels unfair and limiting to the community.”
One of the most dedicated curators expressed similar frustration: "I’ve watched the quality of verified lyrics go down as well, since curators are now only focused on completing paid missions. Contributions outside this system are ignored, no matter how much they improve the song’s accuracy. It’s disappointing to see Musixmatch become so profit-driven."
For those of us who are non-mission contributors, it feels like our contributions are no longer valued. We are passionate about helping listeners connect with music through accurate lyrics, and now that’s being taken away. We’ve seen other curators voice similar concerns:
“I joined Musixmatch because I believed in its mission to provide accurate lyrics to music lovers everywhere, not to be locked into a system that profits off my unpaid work while restricting where those lyrics get published.”
Spotify has always been about giving users the best possible music experience, and that includes accurate and easily accessible lyrics. But by continuing a partnership with Musixmatch, a company that’s moving in the opposite direction—prioritizing profits over the community—it may ultimately harm Spotify’s reputation and the user experience.
I strongly urge Spotify to reconsider its partnership with Musixmatch and explore alternatives that are more aligned with the values of openness, collaboration, and community contribution. Let’s ensure that curators’ efforts aren’t restricted by monopolistic practices and that listeners everywhere can continue to enjoy accurate, high-quality lyrics on this platform.
Thank you for taking this into consideration.
Staff / Moderator/ 3 years ago in Social & Random