Spotify’s new real-time lyrics feature could face legal issues

Remember that awesome real-time lyrics feature that Spotify added to its desktop app a few days ago? Apparently there could be some legal issues surrounding this move, at least, that’s what the American karaoke industry believes. The potential legal issues are a little complicated and PCWorld explains in further detail in its article, but it’s important to note that the legal issues are aimed at the company providing the lyrics to Spotify, not Spotify itself. 

The real-time lyrics feature that Spotify added to its desktop app this past week hasn’t impressed the U.S. karaoke industry. Joseph C Vangieri, the CEO of DigiTrax, has called it “unfair competition for us American ‘Karaoke’ companies.” Lest you think that he has a beef with Spotify, know that his anger is directed at music publishers and not toward the music streaming service. On Thursday, Vangieri asked the publishing industry to weigh in on the legality of Spotify’s Musixmatch-powered lyrics feature in an open letter clearly penned in angry haste. “So how is Spotify getting around getting video sync license for this feature? ” he asked, pointing out that “there are a great many songwriters who will not allow ‘karaoke’ of their songs.” He also called attention to a power-packed list of holdouts that includes such leading lights of the music world as Bon Jovi, Led Zeppelin, and Madonna.