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Canada’s LyricFind Accuses US Rival Musixmatch and TPG of Market Suppression

By  |  July 14, 2025

A recently unsealed legal filing reveals that LyricFind, a prominent lyrics licensing company, has accused a key investor in its top competitor, Musixmatch, of deploying aggressive tactics aimed at eliminating market competition.

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    The allegation appears in an antitrust complaint filed by LyricFind in March against Musixmatch, which was previously redacted but has now been made publicly available. According to the unredacted complaint, Musixmatch and its major investor, TPG, engaged in a “buy or bury” strategy designed to suppress LyricFind’s growth and preserve Musixmatch’s dominant market position.

    Per the filing, TPG allegedly attempted to acquire LyricFind in 2023, a move LyricFind contends was aimed not at expansion but at neutralizing a competitive threat. “Because of a ‘competitive threat’ from LyricFind,” the company states in the complaint, Musixmatch and TPG “embarked on a multi-faceted ‘buy or bury’ scheme” to preserve their pricing power and exclude rivals.

    Related: LyricFind Accuses Musixmatch of Antitrust Violations in Warner Chappell Deal Dispute

    According to a statement within the legal documents, TPG and Musixmatch were granted access to confidential business information under a non-disclosure agreement as part of the acquisition talks. LyricFind claims that the two parties breached this agreement by allegedly leaking sensitive details to Spotify. The intent, per the complaint, was to dissuade Spotify from pursuing a partnership with LyricFind, thereby avoiding head-to-head competition on licensing terms or service quality.

    Despite the alleged leak, negotiations between LyricFind and Spotify reportedly continued. The complaint goes on to assert that Musixmatch shifted strategies after this development, signing an exclusive deal with Warner Chappell Music (WCM). That agreement named Musixmatch as the sole provider of lyric licensing and data services for songs in the WCM catalog, a move LyricFind argues further restricted fair competition in the marketplace.

    Source: Music Business World Wide