Spotify revamps lyrics offering, so we’re singing from the same hymn sheet
Spotify is improving its lyrics offering with three new features, helping you sing along to your favourites accurately
The move from physical media to music streaming robbed some listeners of a simple joy. Settling in with the record, tape, or CD and reading the lyrics along from the accompanying sleeve booklet.
No had to go around making a fool of themselves singing “feel the beat on the tangerine” to ABBA’s Dancing Queen when they bought the LP, did they? There were measures in place to ensure that kind of embarrassment could be avoided.
Thankfully, the availability of lyrics is making a comeback in the streaming age. Apple Music has had them for a while, offers them in different languages and even provides a dedicated karaoke service where lyrics will flash on televisions sets, while the vocal track’s volume is lowered. Now Spotify is beginning to catch up with three new features beyond the listing below the fold. Firstly, Spotify is offering lyric previews beneath the artwork.
“With lyric previews, the words now appear directly beneath the album artwork or short Canvas clip as a song plays,” the company says in a blog post. “Early testing suggests this new layout makes it easier to engage with lyrics and can help listeners return to songs they discovered. You can still share your favourite lines directly to social platforms from the Now Playing view.”
Furthermore, any music you download for offline listening will now include the lyrics too. So if you’re flying, you can annoy your seat mate by accurately blasting out the stanzas. Naturally, you’ll need a Premium account to access this feature, but it’s rolling around worldwide.
And, to match Apple Music, the company is enabling users worldwide to read lyrics in their native language. Previously, the feature had been available in 25 markets, but now it’s gone global.
The company adds: “For tracks with translations available, tap the translate icon on the lyrics card to view the translation underneath the original lyrics. Translations will appear based on your device’s language, and you can easily switch back to the original lyrics at any time.”
Chris Smith