Apple Music & Lyrics: 12 Common Questions (Answered)

How Accurate are the Lyrics on Apple Music?

A song’s lyrics are an essential component of any musical experience.

If you’re someone who enjoys reading lyrics as you listen, or you’re trying to learn lyrics for a cover, you know how frustrating it can be when the lyrics don’t match up with the audio.

Apple Music has made a conscious commitment to give its users a high-caliber service that’s above its competitors.

Because of their technological advancement, they try to guarantee that the lyrics in their database are generally true.

In 2018, Apple Music ventured into a partnership with ‘The Encyclopedia of Music’ Genius.

Genius is one of the leading online lyrics databases, which is said to be the most accurate and complete.

This was a groundbreaking partnership because Apple Music essentially had a footing to start providing more accurate lyrics, and Genius website visitors could listen to 30-second clips of the songs using the integrated Apple Music mini player.

The process behind Genius Lyrics is that artists submit the lyrics of their songs. This then allows Apple Music to use these lyrics.

Additionally, fans from all over the world come then together and discuss the lyrics and annotate the meanings and the word plays like triple entendre.

Furthermore, artists that are loading their songs to Apple Music can also choose to upload the lyrics. These lyrics would then be accurate as they are coming straight from the artists. 

Where do Apple Music Lyrics come From?

The lyrics to many songs on Apple Music’s database have been obtained throughout the years from a variety of sources, including Genius.

However, more recently, they have prioritized the accuracy of the lyrics by implementing strategies that will continue to strengthen their standing in the streaming industry.

Apple Music has also acquired Shazam Inc. This provides Apple Music with access to an additional large database of lyrics.

The Shazam acquisition is mostly appealing to lyric lovers because the interface displays lyrics in real-time, karaoke style.

But they didn’t stop there; they also created a platform for artists called Apple Music for Artists.

Artists, artist managers, and the distribution hub can use this platform to submit accurate lyrics directly to Apple Music.

Why are the Lyrics sometimes Wrong?

Apple Music has always outsourced the supply of lyrics; even with Apple Music for Artists, the artists and their teams are the ones who submit the lyrics.

Due to Apple Music using different sources to obtain lyrics, it can happen that they have been supplied with incorrect lyrics from that end.

Faced with this new conundrum, Apple Music has taken an initiative of employing a team of people to transcribe songs manually.

This is particularly useful for songs where the artist and their team are not aware of Apple Music for Artists and have not submitted the lyrics on the platform or with Apple Music’s other partners.

Lyrics are subject to the Apple Music for Artists Terms of Service. Apple may, but has no obligation, to use provided lyrics and may adjust lyrics for stylistic reasons.

[Source: Artists.Apple.Com]

How do I Turn the Lyrics On and Off?

You can follow along with perfectly timed lyrics as you listen to your favorite song, all with your Apple Music subscription.

Before you can see the lyrics on your device, there are certain prerequisites that must be fulfilled. 

• You need a stable internet connection.
• You need a system update; you should be using the latest version of iOS or macOS.
• Likewise, you need an updated Apple Music app; you should be using the latest version.
• Lastly, you need a valid Apple Music subscription.

When all of this is in order, you can follow these steps to see the lyrics on your device:

1. Launch Apple Music on your device.
2. Choose a song from your library, i.e., Beyoncé’s Alien Superstar.
3. At the bottom of the screen, tap on the song.
4. Tap on the Lyrics icon (it looks like quotation marks) to view the lyrics.
   • Time-synced lyrics will appear automatically on your screen if available for the selected song.
   • If time synced lyrics aren’t available, then the full song lyrics will appear on the screen.

When you no longer want to view the lyrics, you can follow these steps to turn them OFF:

1. Launch Apple Music
2. Tap on the song that’s playing.
3. Tap on the Lyrics icon, and it will take you back to the normal screen.

How do you Add Lyrics to Apple Music Songs?

Apple Music allows you to add custom lyrics to songs in your library that have missing lyrics.

But here’s the catch, custom lyrics are only visible to you. Only the original artist can upload the official lyrics that everyone can see.

Another thing worth noting, the Custom Lyrics feature can only be accessed on a computer in the Apple Music app or on iTunes.

You will be able to sync the custom lyrics onto your phone after adding them on a computer.

The following are the steps for adding custom lyrics to songs on Apple Music:

1. Add the song to your library
2. Press Control and click the song at the same time. Now choose ‘Get Info’
3. The Get Info window displays information about the song.
   • To see if there are any lyrics associated with the song, click the ‘Lyrics’ tab.
   • Enable the ‘Custom Lyrics’ option at the bottom of the screen.
   • You may now enter your customized lyrics, and when you’re finished, click on the ‘Done’ option.

If you are the original artist, follow these steps to add lyrics to your tracks on Apple Music:

• Open ‘Apple Music for Artists’
•  Go to ‘Artist Content’ once you are logged in.
• A plus (+) sign will appear next to any song that does not have lyrics.
• Click on ‘Add Lyrics’.
• Enter your lyrics in the ‘Song Lyrics’ field. Check that your lyrics adhere to the formatting guidelines.

What is the Format used for Apple Music Lyrics?

Apple Music is very particular about the formatting used for lyrics on its interface.

Apple Music have a set of instructions and guidelines to help ensure artists provide accurate and coherent lyrics.

The structure of the song sets the tone for the lyrics’ format, such as the different verses being separated by line breaks and being clearly identified as a verse, chorus, or hook.

It is expected that grammar rules should be followed, such as proper nouns must be capitalized.

In addition, all lyric lines must begin with a capital letter. Acronyms, geographical locations, brand names, and religious intricacies should also be capitalized accordingly.

When it comes to punctuation, there shouldn’t be commas or periods at the end of any lyric line.

Apple has a time-synced lyrics feature in which the lyrics appear line for line with the song, but this is at Apple’s discretion. Artists have no control over whether their songs will play with this feature.

Does Apple Music Translate Lyrics into other Languages?

Sadly, Apple Music does not offer lyric translation in other languages. For instance, if the song is in Portuguese, the lyrics won’t be translated into English.

This would definitely be a fantastic feature for Apple Music, in our opinion.

Why are Lyrics sometimes Greyed Out on Apple Music?

When your favorite song’s lyrics are greyed out, you might feel annoyed. 

The following factors may contribute to this:

• Apple Music may be glitching, and you may need to restart your device as the first troubleshooting option.
• It’s possible that the song you’re playing is brand-new, and Apple Music doesn’t yet have its lyrics available.
• There aren’t any lyrics available for that specific song.
• The lyrics are not available in your region.
• The lyrics might completely fail to load if there is a bad network connection.
• Your Apple Music subscription could be expired.
• There may be restriction settings on Apple Music preventing the lyrics from loading.

The first thing to do when the lyrics are greyed out is to close the Apple Music app and relaunch it.

Can You Change the Font Size for the Lyrics?

Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to change the font size for the lyrics on Apple Music.

We have not found any credible evidence that this is in their plans as yet, but users are encouraged to recommend their suggestions to Apple on their feedback page.

Why are my Apple Lyrics not Scrolling with the Music?

Apple released iOS 13 in 2019, which included an amazing feature called time-synced lyrics for Apple Music.

This feature allows you to scroll through the lyrics along with the music, word for word.

Unfortunately, this feature is not available on every song; it is at Apple’s discretion which songs include this feature.

This is due to users being able to add custom lyrics, and time-synced lyrics, then become a more official lyric source.

Can you Slow Down the Lyrics if They’re too Fast?

The time-synced lyrics (Live Lyrics) on Apple Music move with the tempo of the song and appear in karaoke style.

Due to that, you cannot slow down the lyrics on the interface. 

You can, however, add your own customized static lyrics should the live lyrics not be satisfactory to you.

What about Lyrics that are Lagging and Showing too Slowly?

If the lyrics on Apple Music are lagging and showing slowly, it is quite possible that the app is glitching or that there may be certain cache files that are corrupted.

You would need to restart the app following these steps:

1. If you are using an iPhone 8 or earlier, double-tap the home button.
2. If you are using an iPhone X and later, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold.
3. Your device will now show your app switcher.
4. Swipe up the Apple Music card to close it.
5. Relaunch the Apple Music app.

If it is still glitching, you can follow these steps to clear the cache:

• Launch ‘Settings’ on your device.
• Select ‘Music’
• Turn off ‘Sync Library’
• Wait about 5 minutes, then turn ‘Sync Library’ back on.

Your internet connection speed might be the cause of the lagging lyrics; it would be wise to check this as well.

Sources

Review guidelines for submitting lyrics – Apple Music For Artists

Apple Music has a team of people transcribing music

How to fix Apple Music Lyrics grayed out (Not available)