When you listen to a track on Spotify and see the words scrolling in real time, those lyrics aren't extracted automatically from the music. They have to be provided. Many artists don't do this (or don't know how), missing a concrete opportunity for visibility and a better user experience.
Why lyrics on Spotify matter
1 - Engagement and retention
Spotify displays lyrics in real time during playback. Users who follow along stay listening longer, skip less, and are more likely to save the track. All positive signals for the algorithm.
2 - Discovery through lyric search
Spotify and other DSPs allow users to search for tracks by their lyrics. If someone remembers "that song that went [line from the chorus]", they can find it by searching those words. Without lyrics uploaded, the track won't be found this way.
3 - Accessibility
Lyrics make music accessible to people with hearing impairments, non-native speakers, and those who want to understand the meaning of the words. It's an improved experience for a real segment of listeners.
4 - Publishing and collecting
In some systems, having lyrics correctly registered helps with verification by collecting societies (ASCAP, BMI, PRS, SIAE, etc.) for compositional royalties.
How to upload lyrics
There are two main approaches:
Via your distributor
Many distributors allow you to include lyrics at the time of release upload. The lyrics are then delivered to stores that support them (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, etc.).
Lyrics uploaded through a distributor are in plain text format — they don't have timestamps or automatic synchronization.
Via a lyrics provider (e.g. MusixMatch)
MusixMatch is the main lyrics provider for Spotify. You can:
- Create an account on MusixMatch
- Add the lyrics to your track
- The lyrics are validated and sent to Spotify
- With MusixMatch Studio, you can also synchronize the lyrics word by word (karaoke mode)
Synchronization (lyrics scrolling in real time during the track) is an additional feature beyond simple static lyrics.
Format for uploading
Lyrics should be prepared like this:
- Clean text: just the words, without chord annotations, verse numbers, etc.
- Consistent capitalization: use whatever capitalization you prefer, but be consistent
- Punctuation: include punctuation if it's part of the lyrics (e.g. "Oh, no!" is different from "Oh no")
- Mixed languages: if the track is in multiple languages, include all text as-is
- Non-verbal vocalizations: "yeah", "ooh", "uh" can be included if they're part of the track
What happens if you don't upload lyrics
- Spotify will show "Lyrics not available" or nothing at all
- The user can't find the track by searching for lyrics
- You miss the engagement of lyrics during listening
It's not a disaster, but it's a missed opportunity. And taking 5 minutes to copy and paste the lyrics into the distributor's form is one of the highest-ROI steps in the upload process.
Apple Music and lyrics
Apple Music has a similar approach: it displays lyrics in real time, but requires them to be provided correctly. Here too the most reliable method is uploading through your distributor or through Apple Music for Artists (where you can edit them manually afterward).
Practical tips
- Prepare the lyrics before uploading the release: you already have the words in your head, put them in a document
- Don't wait for Spotify or others to find them on their own (they don't always do this, or they pull from unofficial sources with errors)
- Verify after publication: open Spotify, search for your track, go to "Lyrics". If there are errors (wrong words, lyrics from another song), you can report them or correct them through MusixMatch
- Use LightSound: in the upload wizard you can enter lyrics directly, which are then delivered to DSPs together with the release
Lyrics and copyright
The lyrics you upload belong to you (if you are the author). Uploading them to stores doesn't transfer the rights: you are simply providing information to be displayed. Compositional rights (melody + lyrics) remain with the author and must be managed through your collecting society (ASCAP, BMI, PRS, SIAE, etc.).