Lyrics Are Gone From Spotify (For Now)

Spotify has removed the lyrics function from across its platforms, breaking ties with Musixmatch -- which had previously supplied the service. 

Users trying to access lyrics on Spotify now will find a message putting a positive twist on the missing feature, saying, "Humming is fun." It continues to state improvements are on the way, causing the lyrics feature to be unavailable, adding that updates are on the way. 

Where's the Long Tail? Spotify Touts Its Artist Discovery

In a statement Spotify said, "We can confirm our partnership with Musixmatch is ending. It was a great partnership and there is mutual respect between both companies as our business strategies move us each in different directions."

Musixmatch, meanwhile, has a bit more to say about the split, suggesting it did not come amicably. 

In a post to Medium published Wednesday (June 1), Musixmatch stated, "We regret the end of this partnership, but we must keep to our product and our users above all else. We will not allow anybody to ignore our business model."

Spotify Matches Apple Music's Family Plan Price

Reading between the lines, it seems Spotify may have demanded Musixmatch made its services exclusive to the top music streaming app.

The company continued to state its intention to "improve and increase the world’s largest lyrics catalog and music vocabulary" and "create a stand alone experience with a healthy business model that allows us, to support ourselves and our rights owners.

"We would eventually like to offer this experience to third parties, however only if the economic value is recognised, as we don’t want to run the risk of our Musixmatch experience becoming unavailable for any reason."

Musixmatch is still available for use through its own iOS and Android apps that plug into Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services with a premium account, as well as its Chrome app for YouTube.