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Spotify's synchronized song lyrics are now available to everyone
After testing the feature in the US and elsewhere, Spotify has launched synchronized song lyrics for users around the world
Spotify just started testing its live lyrics feature in the US
As of this morning, the company is now testing a feature that displays lyrics synced with your music in the United States. Don't be surprised if you never see these live lyrics show up, though.
Porsche bakes Apple Podcasts and Apple Music lyrics into its Taycan EV
It's the first native integration of the Podcasts app into any car.
Spotify now lets you search for songs by lyrics
There’s a US-centric top albums chart as well as a global view, and they’ll be released every Monday. In addition to the weekly album round-up, the Spotify Charts account is also sharing the top 50 songs of the week streamed in the US and globally, as well.
Apple Music’s time-synced lyrics arrive on Samsung Smart TVs
Samsung brings Apple Music’s real-time synced lyrics to its Smart TVs.
Deezer tries using AI to find the naughty words in songs
Deezer is exploring the use of AI to automatically detect explicit lyrics in songs, although there's clearly work to be done before it's ready.
Spotify is testing real-time lyrics
Spotify might be adding real-time lyrics to its app, again. Dozens of Twitter users around the world have reported that lyrics are now popping up as they listen to Spotify. A user with beta 8.5.46.848 confirmed the feature to Android Police. But, this seems to be server-side enabled, as not all users with that beta can see the lyrics.
Apple introduces real-time lyrics to Music
With the release of iOS13, Apple's added a fun new feature to Music: time-synced lyrics. The updated lyrics experience presents real-time synced song words that animate along with the music as they're being sung, rapped or spoken, no matter how mumbly or shouty. The feature also lets you navigate music in a new way -- skip to a part of a song simply by tapping on the lyric. So no more pretending you know the words. It's available now for all Apple Music users on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. An Android version is on its way, as is one for Apple TV, which will be handy for impromptu karaoke parties.
Google search results will show where song lyrics come from
Google isn't sitting idly by while Genius accuses it of copying lyrics. As part of a larger defense of its lyrics search practices, the company has mentioned that it will "soon" attribute the third parties providing song lyrics. This should "make it clearer" as to where the lyrics come from, the company said. In theory, this would direct any complaints to the third parties instead of making Google shoulder all the blame.
Genius accuses Google of copying its lyrics data (updated)
Have you found yourself using Google's lyrics results more than visiting individual lyrics sites? You're not alone -- and Genius thinks underhanded tactics are involved. The company has accused Google of not only hurting its traffic with its lyrics cards, but of sometimes grabbing Genius' lyrics verbatim. The evidence is in the apostrophes, Genius said. It purposefully alternated between straight and curved apostrophes as a form of watermarking (they typically spell out "red handed" in Morse code), and there were reportedly over 100 instances where Google's lyrics included those exact apostrophes.
Text 'Call Me Maybe' to your crush with Genius Lyric Messages
Genius is where the internet turns for rap lyrics (mostly) and song annotations, and tomorrow you'll be able to send those to your pals without leaving iMessage. The way the press release describes it, the process sounds fairly simple. And even a bit GBoard-like with its card structure. "Users can create Genius Lyric Messages for any song available on Genius, regardless of artist, genre, language, year or chart popularity," the press release reads. From there you can customize the card's background image and send it to whoever you want, be it via iMessage or your preferred social apps. Don't use iMessage? You can send lyrics from within the iOS-exclusive (for now) Genius app itself.
Google adds song lyrics to search results
Looking to capitalize on the constant stream of people trying to figure out how does that song go again?, Google unveiled a new featured placement for song lyrics Monday. So, the next time you google the lyrics for "Total Eclipse of the Heart," Bonnie Tyler's beautiful words will appear directly in your search results. The new feature is part of a multi-year licensing deal with Toronto company LyricFind, Billboard reports, and will actually result in a new source of income for musicians and publishers.
Spotify's karaoke-style lyrics are gone, for now
If you tried to access Spotify's lyrics feature recently, you were likely greeted with a "Humming is fun" message instead. That's because the streaming service ended its partnership with Musixmatch, a company that power the tool with its catalog of song lyrics. Billboard reports that "updates" are on the way, though specifics aren't mentioned, so there's no concrete indication when or if the feature will return. Spotify does still offer insight into the meaning of a song's words, thanks to a separate partnership with Genius.
Spotify wants to give you the story behind a song's lyrics
In it's ongoing quest to bring artists and fans closer together, Spotify has a new feature that aims to do just that. Starting today, the streaming service will give you a look at the meaning of your favorite song's lyrics. The company teamed up with Genius, a site that compiles song lyrics and other music info, on a series of playlists called Behind the Lyrics. Starting with hip-hop, you'll be able to read about the inspiration and other stories from the artist themselves. This first playlist features Pusha T, Tinashe and Diplo.
Genius for Android shows lyrics for whatever you're playing
Genius is all about digging up lyrics for that song you're listening to, so it would only make sense if it brought up those lyrics at the very moment the song comes on, wouldn't it? Sure enough, you're getting that feature now. A recent update to the Android app introduces lyric matching for whatever you're playing, in any app -- whether it's Apple Music, Google Play Music or Spotify, you'll get those verses as soon as they're relevant. They'll only be as good as the crowdsourced material allows, of course, but it beats scratching your head when an unintelligible line comes up mid-tune.
Algorithm determines which rappers have the slickest rhymes
The days of arguing over the worth of your favorite rappers might soon come to an end. Data mining student Eric Malmi has built Raplyzer, an algorithmic program that gauges the average length of a rap or hip-hop star's multi-syllable rhymes (the key to the "dopest flows," Flocabulary says) and ranks that person accordingly. Based on this math, the champions are a mix of veterans and relative newcomers. Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck is on top, while big names like Rakim, Earl Sweatshirt and ASAP Rocky are near the front.
Google's putting song lyrics right into your search results
Despite what your ears may tell you, The Ramones wanted to be sedated (not "a piece of bacon"). There probably isn't one among us who hasn't turned to the oracles of the web to vanquish a pesky mondegreen, and Google's starting to make that process just a little easier. If you search for a song's lyrics on Google, you might see those words will appear atop the rest of those results without so much as a single extra click needed. Just like that, Google has started sticking it to all those terribly obnoxious, ad-laden lyrics sites gumming up the web. Oh happy day. Catch is, Google's pulling that info straight from the Play Store... or rather, the handful of Play Store song listings that have lyrics associated with them. That means the vast majority of songs you search for won't return lyrics -- most of The Rolling Stones' discography didn't turn up more informative results, while searches for MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" and Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" yielded paydirt. Looks like the folks in Mountain View really have their musical priorities straight. [Photo credit: Mark Levine/ABC via Getty Images]
Shazam's new iPhone app gives you faster access to lyrics and music videos
If you're like us, you usually stop using Shazam as soon as you've identifed that catchy tune -- while the software has a lot of features under the hood, they haven't been easy to find. That's why the company is rolling out the first phase of an iPhone app redesign. Its new song interface (available later today) puts real-time lyrics front and center, and a song's music video is just a short hop away. Shazam is also making it easier to buy or stream content, whether it's a hit song or a TV show. iPhone owners should expect further big updates later this month. Android-based listeners will have to be more patient, however, as today's interface revamp won't hit their devices until sometime in the "coming weeks."
TuneWiki social music player to shut down on June 28th
If you've been interested in social music listening, there's a good chance you've heard of TuneWiki's lyric syncing and discovery services. Unfortunately, you won't be hearing about them for much longer -- the company is shutting down on June 28th. The firm hasn't explained its decision, but we wouldn't count on any content working after the cutoff date. We've reached out for more details; for now, the only certainty is that lyric lovers will have to scramble for alternatives.
Telekinesis Kyle is an upcoming platformer with psychic power
There aren't all that many games on the expo floor at Macworld/iWorld 2013 this year, unfortunately. It seems like a lot of game developers stayed home, as most of the apps on display are utility or productivity apps. There are a few games out there in Appalooza (as the app section of the show floor is called), and Telekinesis Kyle is one that stood out to us. It's an upcoming app from a company called Vellum Interactive, and it's based on a cool idea: You play as a kid who can not only jump around on various platforms, but he can also move various physics-enabled objects through the game's environments. The game is still in early production, so the graphics and the levels aren't at all finalized (and in fact, there was a bug in the scrolling mechanic in the part I saw in action), but the idea is a lot of fun. Jumping is handled automatically, so the only onscreen controls are to send Kyle left or right, and he'll go up on objects and platforms by himself. Once Kyle comes across an object to move, then, the player can just touch it on the screen, and then drag and drop it wherever it needs to go. The puzzle I saw consisted of two switches with two doors on two different levels. Kyle had to stand on the first switch to open the first door, behind which was a small crate. He could then use telekinesis to move the crate up to the second switch and open the second door, where there was a small gear he needed to complete the puzzle. Without leaving the first switch, he tele-moved the gear with his mind where it needed to go, and then he tele-moved the crate down to where he stood, so it could hold the door open for him as he moved through. As you can tell, Kyle's got an emphasis on puzzles and exploration rather than action, and that seems like a great fit for the iOS market. Later on, Vellum is planning to add puzzles with obstacles like lasers. The style of the game is done very well, too -- it's cell-shaded, and Kyle's relative physical weakness makes his mental powers all the more satisfying. Telekinesis Kyle looks like a great title -- it's due out near the end of March, so we'll look for it then. Oh, and of course I couldn't leave the booth without asking about the name. Yes, said Vellum, it is named after the famous Tenacious D lyric, but it doesn't have anything official to do with the song. The team just needed a name while they were working on the project, someone mentioned Telekinesis Kyle, and it just stuck. "It was one of those spontaneous things," a Vellum rep told us.
