diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi
index ecc520397c..7c7e45ec8e 100644
--- a/doc/guix.texi
+++ b/doc/guix.texi
@@ -33705,10 +33705,10 @@ Audio Services
 This is a list of symbols naming Shepherd services that this service
 will depend on.
 
-@item @code{user} (default: @code{"mympd"}) (type: string)
+@item @code{user} (type: maybe-user-account)
 Owner of the @command{mympd} process.
 
-@item @code{group} (default: @code{"nogroup"}) (type: string)
+@item @code{group} (type: maybe-user-group)
 Owner group of the @command{mympd} process.
 
 @item @code{work-directory} (default: @code{"/var/lib/mympd"}) (type: string)
diff --git a/gnu/services/audio.scm b/gnu/services/audio.scm
index eaee9b1536..9211cbcc52 100644
--- a/gnu/services/audio.scm
+++ b/gnu/services/audio.scm
@@ -640,6 +640,47 @@ (define-configuration/no-serialization mympd-ip-acl
 (define-maybe/no-serialization integer)
 (define-maybe/no-serialization mympd-ip-acl)
 
+;; XXX: These will shadow the previous definition used by mpd
+;;      and cause warnings to be shown. Maybe split the file
+;;      into audio/mpd.scm and audio/mympd.scm ?
+#;(define-maybe/no-serialization user-account)
+#;(define-maybe/no-serialization user-group)
+
+(define %mympd-user
+  (user-account
+      (name "mympd")
+      (group "mympd")
+      (system? #t)
+      (comment "myMPD user")
+      (home-directory "/var/empty")
+      (shell (file-append shadow "/sbin/nologin"))))
+
+(define %mympd-group
+  (user-group
+   (name "mympd")
+   (system? #t)))
+
+;;; TODO: procedures for unsupported value types, to be removed.
+(define (mympd-user-sanitizer value)
+  (cond ((user-account? value) value)
+        ((string? value)
+         (warning (G_ "string value for 'user' is not supported, use \
+user-account instead. Ignoring this value~%"))
+         %mympd-user)
+        (else
+         (leave (G_ "'~a' is not a valid value for 'user'~%") value))))
+
+(define (mympd-group-sanitizer value)
+  (cond ((user-group? value) value)
+        ((string? value)
+         (warning (G_ "string value for 'group' is not supported, use \
+user-group instead. Ignoring this value~%"))
+         %mympd-group)
+        (else
+         (leave (G_ "'~a' is not a valid value for 'group'~%") value))))
+;;;
+
+
 ;; XXX: The serialization procedures are insufficient since we require
 ;; access to multiple fields at once.
 ;; Fields marked with empty-serializer are never serialized and are
@@ -657,13 +698,15 @@ (define-configuration/no-serialization mympd-configuration
    empty-serializer)
 
   (user
-   (string "mympd")
+   (maybe-user-account %mympd-user)
    "Owner of the @command{mympd} process."
+   (sanitizer mympd-user-sanitizer)
    empty-serializer)
 
   (group
-   (string "nogroup")
+   (maybe-user-group %mympd-group)
    "Owner group of the @command{mympd} process."
+   (sanitizer mympd-group-sanitizer)
    empty-serializer)
 
   (work-directory
@@ -798,7 +841,8 @@ (define (mympd-shepherd-service config)
   (match-record config <mympd-configuration> (package shepherd-requirement
                                               user work-directory
                                               cache-directory log-level log-to)
-    (let ((log-level* (format #f "MYMPD_LOGLEVEL=~a" log-level)))
+    (let ((log-level* (format #f "MYMPD_LOGLEVEL=~a" log-level))
+          (username (user-account-name user)))
       (shepherd-service
        (documentation "Run the myMPD daemon.")
        (requirement `(loopback user-processes
@@ -806,7 +850,7 @@ (define (mympd-shepherd-service config)
                                ,@shepherd-requirement))
        (provision '(mympd))
        (start #~(begin
-                  (let* ((pw (getpwnam #$user))
+                  (let* ((pw (getpwnam #$username))
                          (uid (passwd:uid pw))
                          (gid (passwd:gid pw)))
                     (for-each (lambda (dir)
@@ -816,7 +860,7 @@ (define (mympd-shepherd-service config)
 
                   (make-forkexec-constructor
                    `(#$(file-append package "/bin/mympd")
-                     "--user" #$user
+                     "--user" #$username
                      #$@(if (eqv? log-to 'syslog) '("--syslog") '())
                      "--workdir" #$work-directory
                      "--cachedir" #$cache-directory)
@@ -826,14 +870,7 @@ (define (mympd-shepherd-service config)
 
 (define (mympd-accounts config)
   (match-record config <mympd-configuration> (user group)
-                (list (user-group (name group)
-                                  (system? #t))
-                      (user-account (name user)
-                                    (group group)
-                                    (system? #t)
-                                    (comment "myMPD user")
-                                    (home-directory "/var/empty")
-                                    (shell (file-append shadow "/sbin/nologin"))))))
+    (list user group)))
 
 (define (mympd-log-rotation config)
   (match-record config <mympd-configuration> (log-to)
