Song lyrics: Everything you need to know
Song lyrics are more than just secondary metadata. Correctly entered lyrics are shown to listeners right in the player, increase their engagement and help people find your music. How it all works and how to get your lyrics onto Spotify or Instagram as well – that is what this article is about.
The lyrics you enter with us
When adding a recording in Artists Bez Labelu, you will find an optional Lyrics field in the Lyrics & file section. This is where the exact words of the song go – just as you sing them – without verse names, without choruses in brackets, without descriptions. Just the plain lyrics. The form itself will warn you about section labels (chorus, verse, [x2]…). You can also add or correct the lyrics after distribution by editing the recording – but the change will only reach the platforms once you send the release to distribution again.
How to format lyrics correctly – and how not to – is described in detail in the article Song lyrics: Dos and don'ts.
Where do the lyrics from our system end up?
We send the lyrics you enter with us to the platforms together with the recording – but not all platforms display them. Platforms that do display lyrics take them either from us or from specialised providers. It depends on what lyrics infrastructure the platform uses:
YouTube Music
Can take lyrics from us as well as from specialised providers
Apple Music
Can take lyrics from us as well as from specialised providers
Spotify
Lyrics come from Musixmatch, not from the distributor
Instagram Music
Lyrics come via Meta / Musixmatch
Amazon Music
Lyrics from its own or third-party sources
Tidal, Deezer…
Approaches vary, usually third parties
It is a matter of specialisation and data quality. Managing lyrics is a complex job – syncing with the music (karaoke timing), translations, corrections, licensing the display in different countries. Platforms such as Spotify delegate this to specialised lyrics providers, who have the most experience with it, extensive databases and established relationships with publishers. The distributor is responsible for the audio content and the recording's metadata – lyrics are beyond its standard scope.
How to get your lyrics onto Spotify and Instagram
To display lyrics on Spotify, Instagram and other platforms that don't take lyrics directly from the distributor, there is the Musixmatch service. It is the world's largest database of song lyrics and the primary lyrics provider for Spotify.
How it works via Musixmatch
Synced lyrics – lyrics that follow playback line by line – significantly increase listener engagement. Both Spotify and Apple Music display them as an interactive element. Listeners who follow the lyrics spend longer with the song on average and are more likely to add it to a playlist. Musixmatch offers a timing tool right in its interface.
Are there other ways besides Musixmatch?
For independent artists, Musixmatch is de facto the only route to Spotify. Spotify does not offer indie artists direct integration with other lyrics providers. On Apple Music and YouTube Music, the lyrics you fill in with us may be displayed, but these platforms also take lyrics from specialised providers – so always fill in the field with us.
Amazon Music has its own Amplify system and integration with Musixmatch and other providers. Deezer and Tidal also work with external providers, with Musixmatch being a significant source for both.
Musixmatch is entirely community-driven when it comes to adding and correcting lyrics. This means someone else may have added lyrics to your song before you did – and may have got them wrong. Check whether lyrics for your releases exist on Musixmatch and whether they are correct. As a verified artist on Musixmatch for Artists, you have the right to lock your lyrics and prevent incorrect community edits.