Musixmatch has made a major change to their policies in 2024 that shifts the "ownership" of song lyrics on Musixmatch to the rightsholder (where it belongs). This change impacts all Musixmatch curators. Unfortunately, Musixmatch hasn't been clear enough about all of the details in their communications to the Musixmatch curators, and as a result, there are quite a few misunderstandings.

This is what's going on... (and for Musixmatch Curators equally important, how to get lyrics transcripts displayed on Spotify and other services).

The Issues

• Copyrights
  Song lyrics, like any other creative work, are protected by copyright. Songwriters / rightsholders have the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, and publicly display their lyrics.
  Infringement of these copyrights can lead to legal and financial consequences, and this emphasizes the importance of obtaining proper permissions and licenses.
  
  
• Quality issue?!? Yes and no... Quality is only part of the story. 
  Musixmatch has been communicating to the curator community that the changes are a quality issue, but that is only part of the story! It is my opinion that Musixmatch may be afraid that curators will leave if they tell the full story. The entire business model behind Musixmatch's outsourcing offering to artists & labels is based on crowdsourcing the transcription process to people (lyrics curators) who more or less do this as a hobby (and at best receive a very small financial reward). 
  
  You could say that it is about quality if you consider that many artists/rightsholders have been complaining for years that the lyric transcripts on Spotify are not showing what they want shown on Spotify, or lyrics are displayed while they don't want it to be displayed on these services!
  The Musixmatch submission guidelines dictate that every audible word in a recording MUST be transcribed. What the artist actually wanted was never part of the consideration. Prior to the policy change, every certified Musixmatch curator could reproduce lyrics (compliant to the submission guidelines and instructions from Musixmatch's Specialist). When completed, the curator would submit the transcript, which in turn would trigger a distribution process. Within days, the lyrics would be publically displayed (on Spotify and other Musixmatch content partner platforms). 
  
  You could also say that it was a quality issue if you consider that Musixmatch's distribution process would take place WITHOUT the explicit consent of the songwriter/relevant rightsholder. Musixmatch's processes at that time didn't give the songwriter/rightsholder a possibility to correct the transcript before distribution. Some songwriters/rightsholders DO NOT want to have their lyrics displayed on specific platforms (e.g., if they disagree with the relevant songwriter royalties that a platform is offering). Others may not want all parts of the transcript (e.g., live performances) to be included or want to exercise their right to verify the transcript before it is distributed.
  
  It is the rightsholder who, by copyright law, should be in control of their artistic works. The recent policy change aligns with the exclusive right that rights owners have. Curators must also respect these rights.
  
  So, was it a quality issue? I.m.h.o. the answer to that question is "Yes", and the root cause was, in my opinion, 99% Musixmatch (systems/processes/guidelines). Additionally, there were a number of lyric curators that weren't following the processes and guidelines as they were intended.

After the policy change

By default, all submitted lyrics (by Musixmatch curators) are only added to the Musixmatch lyric database and can only be viewed on the Musixmatch website. These transcripts are distributed to the content partner platforms AFTER the artist/rightsholder gives their explicit permission to have their lyrics distributed.

The policy change had to address a number of issues:

1. Know-your-customer. Verification processes that reduce the risk that unauthorized persons claim an artist profile. This involves an identity verification and an artist profile verification.
2. Explicit permission to reproduce, distribute, and publicly display an artist's lyrics.
3. Keep qualified curators on-board to perform missions, and make sure you know who your curators are (identity verification).

Musixmatch Pro accounts 

The Musixmatch Pro accounts are the key to knowing your customer (the artist/rightsholder) and getting explicit permission to distribute (paying for distribution through one of the paid Misixmatch Pro plans). 

While creating Musixmatch Pro accounts and linking them to an artist profile, Musixmatch performs identity and artist profile verifications to ensure that the account is linked to the rightsholder.

Once the account is linked, the representative (artist, agent, label) controls the submitted lyric tyranscripts. This restores the exclusive right of the rights owner to reproduce, distribute, and publicly display their lyrics. Musixmatch curators can prepare the transcript for distribution, but it isn't until after the authorized artist/agent/label verifies the submission that the lyrics are locked and optionally queued for distribution.

There is a free Musixmatch Pro plan for artists that only wish to correct and lock their lyrics on the Musixmatch platform.

Paid Musixmatch Pro subscription plan

Payment is required if an artist/agent/label wants to access more features provided by Musixmatch. One of those features is the distribution of lyrics. By subscribing to one of the paid Musixmatch Pro plans (Basic, Lite, Grow, Plus, and Label), the artist agrees (is paying) to distribute their verified lyrics to the partner platforms. They also have access to other features included in their plan.

To be clear... there is NO distribution included with the free plan. There is also NO workaround, like some curators are claiming. Some curators claim that they can transcribe the lyrics, then have an artist verify it with their Free plan, and after verification, the lyrics will be distributed to partner platforms. This is a misunderstanding!

How can Musixmatch curators get their lyric transcripts displayed on Musixmatch's partner platforms (e.g., Spotify)?

There are two options:

1. Through missions. Depending on the Musixmatch Pro subscription plan, artists can outsource the transcription of their song to Musixmatch. The outsourced tracks are presented to curators in so-called "missions". When artists request Musixmatch to transcribe and distribute lyrics, they explicitly grant Musixmatch permission to transcribe the lyrics (best effort) and then distribute them to the partner platforms. The artist also accepts the risk of errors in the transcript (which they can fix using their Musixmatch Pro account).
   
   
2. Work directly with artists/agents/labels that have a paid Musixmatch Pro subscription. Artists/labels/rights owners are free to ask others to help them with transcribing and publishing song lyrics to Musixmatch. Because of the verification needed to avoid copyright infringements, curators need to find a workable process together with the artist.
   
   For example:
   1. Use your own curator account to submit time-synced lyrics, and have the artist 'verify' the lyrics using their verified Musixmatch Pro account. What happens next with those lyrics is then up to the artist (and the features included in their Musixmatch Pro subscription).
      
      
   2. Alternatively, use the artist's own Musixmatch Pro account to submit and time-sync lyrics.
      Note: This is only possible if the account has been created using an email address and password. Accounts created using Google, Facebook, or Apple verification cannot be shared.

>> Please read my article before you create an account for Musixmatch Pro <<

>> (Click here for artists / click here for labels) <<