Musixmatch and DistroKid have renewed their worldwide lyrics distribution partnership under a new multi-year agreement.
Under the deal, announced on Thursday (November 5), DistroKid will continue to offer Musixmatch’s lyric distribution through its Lyric Blaster service.
Powered by Musixmatch, Lyric Blaster lets artists deliver their lyrics to streaming and social platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Instagram, and Amazon, according to the companies.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed by Musixmatch or DistroKid.
The two companies first teamed up in December 2019, when Musixmatch announced that lyrics added and synced by artists on DistroKid would be published on Musixmatch and distributed to music services.
Marco Paglia, Co-President of Musixmatch, said: “A song recorded in a bedroom deserves the same opportunities to connect with fans as one released by a major label, and lyrics are an important part of that experience. At Musixmatch, we help ensure every artist’s words reach their fans accurately, wherever they listen.
“Through our partnership with DistroKid, one of the world’s largest music distributors, we’re making that process easier, giving independent artists the tools to take control of their lyrics.”
“We’re really pleased to renew our partnership with Musixmatch,” said Phil Bauer, President of DistroKid.
“Lyrics are a big part of how fans connect with a song, and we want to make sharing them as easy as possible. This partnership helps artists get their lyrics ready alongside their music, all through a service they already use.”
Musixmatch and DistroKid said in their announcement that “while major labels often have dedicated teams to coordinate music releases, independent artists frequently manage these details themselves.”
The companies say the renewed partnership offers independent artists “a simple way to manage and distribute their lyrics alongside their music.”
They also cited research from MIDiA Research, which they said found that fans who “engage deeply with lyrics are nearly four times more likely to purchase merchandise and twice as likely to attend live shows.”
Musixmatch cited similar figures in September, when it launched Musixmatch Pro for Labels, a hub for record companies to manage and distribute lyrics.
The DistroKid renewal is the latest in a series of moves by Musixmatch this year.
In March, the Bologna-based company launched Sentinel, a service designed to detect when copyrighted music and lyrics are used in AI-generated and user-generated content.
AI music platform Suno became Sentinel’s first customer in August.
In October, Musixmatch acquired Music Reports, Inc., the Los Angeles-based company behind the Songdex copyright registry.
It was the first acquisition in Musixmatch‘s 16-year history, according to the company.
London-based music data and licensing platform Blokur, which Music Reports acquired in January 2024, also passed to Musixmatch as part of the deal.
Musixmatch said at the time that the acquisition would transform it into “a full-stack rights and royalties platform.”
The company says the deal will enable it to establish “the world’s most comprehensive registry of music copyright information,” with financing provided by Tikehau Capital.
The renewal also comes four months after CVC Capital Partners agreed to acquire a majority stake in DistroKid.
Insight Partners, a longtime DistroKid backer, is set to retain a “significant minority stake” in the company, according to the July announcement.
MBW revealed in January that DistroKid was exploring a sale, with a price of around $2 billion under discussion at the time.
Phil Bauer, previously DistroKid’s Chief Operating Officer, became President of the company in January 2024, when founder Philip Kaplan moved from CEO to Chairman.Music Business Worldwide