CMU covered the latest in the ongoing litigation between LyricFind and Musixmatch/TPG Growth.

LyricFind insists that arguments put forward by its rival Musixmatch in an antitrust legal battle have no substance. In a new court filing, the lyrics aggregator remains forthright in accusing its rival of anticompetitive conduct, while founder Darryl Ballantyne says that Musixmatch, in its attempts to get LyricFind’s antitrust lawsuit dismissed, is “grasping at straws to keep this case from going to trial”. 

The new filing also reveals that the owner of Musixmatch, private equity group TPG Global, tried to buy LyricFind in 2023 “to remove it from the market”, and then allegedly used confidential information secured during the acquisition talks to try to scupper a deal between LyricFind and Spotify. Those allegations were redacted from the original lawsuit when it was filed in March. 

When those efforts to combat the competition posed by LyricFind failed, it’s claimed, Musixmatch entered into the exclusivity deal with Warner Chappell that is at the heart of the antitrust litigation. 

– Chris Cooke, CMU