Google Music Scan and Match swaps explicit songs for clean tracks

Have you used Google’s Music Scan and Match platform to upload music to the cloud? Well, you may have noticed that the service has an alarming tendency to swap explicit songs with so-called “clean” tracks. 

For example, if you uploaded the original album version of a song with explicit lyrics, you might very well end up with a clean version of the same song from the Google Music catalogue – instead of your original track. 

Some people may not mind the swap, but to others censorship is a huge problem. Many users of the Google Music Scan and Match functionality report that no matter what songs they upload, the versions of their music with explicit lyrics are being swapped out with versions of clean lyrics. Clearly, the issue isn’t limited to specific tracks or artists.

The good news? There is a button you can click indicating an incorrect match, with some users reporting the tracks are typically changed back to the original explicit versions within 24 hours.

While swapping songs with explicit lyrics for songs with clean lyrics is one thing, doing the opposite is another thing altogether. Indeed, many parents purchasing music for their kids opt for the clean version.

Interestingly, The Verge is now reporting that a number of users who uploaded clean tracks had them automatically replaced with more explicit versions. It should be noted that this issue isn’t limited to Google Music alone, as users have reported similar issues with iTunes Match.