Bulk Lyrics Submission

Documentation for Partners

This document outlines the standardized formats and methods for submitting lyrics in bulk to contribute lyrical content at scale. Last updated July 8, 2025

Overview of Accepted Formats

Musixmatch accepts lyrics submissions in several standardized formats to accommodate different partner workflows:

CSV Musixmatch Standard Format - Method for bulk lyrics delivery primarily suitable for labels
JSONL Format - Method for bulk lyrics delivery primarily suitable for labels
DDEX MEAD - For partners using industry standard DDEX protocols
Lyrics-Specific API: batch.metadata.post - Method for bulk lyrics delivery primarily suitable for labels
Publisher-Specific API: work.post - For publishers to submit copyright information and lyrics associated with musical works
Synchronised lyrics - Method for bulk time-synched lyrics delivery primarily suitable for labels
Pre-released lyrics - Method for bulk lyrics delivery prior to the release date, primarily suitable for labels

Submission Process

Initial Setup: Contact Musixmatch filling this form to establish credentials and delivery method
Test Submission: Send a small (100 tracks) batch for validation
Feedback Integration: Address any formatting issues identified
Production Submission: Begin regular delivery of properly formatted lyrics

Best Practices

Data Validation: Ensure all ISRCs are valid and correctly formatted
Lyrics Transcription: Ensure that the lyrics are transcribed as sung in the recording, following Musixmatch transcription guidelines
Lyrics Formatting: Maintain original line breaks and paragraph structure
Character Encoding: Verify UTF-8 encoding to preserve special characters
Regular Updates: Establish a consistent schedule for delivering new content
Communication: Inform Musixmatch of significant changes to your delivery format

Note that internal staff may periodically review lyrics to maintain the quality standards required by DSPs, with no impact on content integrity.

1. CSV Standard Format for Lyrics Submission

File Specifications

File naming convention: partnername_lyrics_YYYYMMDD.csv
Format: CSV file (not Excel)
Encoding: UTF-8, with or without BOM
Delimiter: Comma (,)
Quote character: Double quote (”)
- Used to escape values containing delimiters
- Example: "Laser , Game", nice, 829
Escape character: Double quote (”)
- For escaping quoted values containing quotes
- Example: "We Will Rock You (From ""We Will Rock You"")"

Headers and Fields

Headers must appear in this exact order:

Field	Required	Description
isrc	Yes	International Standard Recording Code associated with the track
title	Yes	Title of the track
artist	Yes	Name of the artist associated with the track
duration	No	Integer representing track duration in milliseconds (e.g., 240000 for 4 minutes); fill in ‘0’ if not available
language	No	The expected language (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code)
partner_id	No	Your organization’s unique internal identification number for a specific song, used for tracking within your catalogue (e.g., an internal catalogue number)
lyrics	Yes	The lyrics as sung in the recording, following Musixmatch transcription guidelines

Example

isrc,title,artist,duration,language,partner_id,lyrics
GBAAA9100070,Stars,John Doe,247000,en,A23,"Lyrics body in brackets 
command return to line break,
lorem ipsum"
GBAAA9100071,Luna,Jane Something,247001,es,A24,"Lyrics body in brackets 
command return to line break,
lorem ipsum"

2. JSONL Format

The JSONL format, with each JSON object on a single line, is efficient for streaming and processing large datasets. Its line-by-line structure supports independent processing, simple appending, and efficient handling of bulk lyric submissions. Below is a JSONL model that reflects the CSV standard format for lyrics submission.

JSON Schema

{
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
  "type": "object",
  "required": ["isrc", "artist", "title", "lyrics"],
  "properties": {
    "isrc": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "International Standard Recording Code",
      "pattern": "^[A-Z]{2}-?[A-Z\\d]{3}-?\\d{2}-?\\d{5}$"
    },
    "artist": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Name of the artist associated with the track"
    },
    "title": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Title of the track"
    },
    "lyrics": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The lyrics as sung in the recording, following Musixmatch transcription guidelines"
    },
    "duration": {
      "type": "integer",
      "description": "Integer representing track duration in milliseconds (e.g., 240000 for 4 minutes); fill in '0' if not available"
    },
    "language": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The expected language (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code)",
      "pattern": "^[a-zA-Z]{2}$"
    },
    "partner_id": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Partner internal identification number"
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false
}

JSONL Example with Single Lyrics

{"isrc":"ABCDE1234567","artist":"Artist Name","title":"Track Title","lyrics":"Lyrics line 1\nLyrics line 2\nLyrics line 3","duration":240000,"language":"en","partner_id":"PARTNER123"}

JSONL Example with Multiple Lyrics

{"isrc":"ABCDE1234567","artist":"Artist Name","title":"Track Title","lyrics":"Lyrics line 1\nLyrics line 2\nLyrics line 3","duration":240000,"language":"en","partner_id":"PARTNER123"}
{"isrc":"FGHIJ8901234","artist":"Another Artist","title":"Another Track","lyrics":"More lyrics line 1\nMore lyrics line 2","duration":180000,"language":"fr","partner_id":"PARTNER124"}
{"isrc":"KLMNO5678901","artist":"Third Artist","title":"Third Track","lyrics":"Third song lyrics\nWith multiple lines\nAnd verses too","duration":320000,"language":"es","partner_id":"PARTNER125"}

3. DDEX MEAD Standard

For partners already using DDEX standards, Musixmatch accepts lyrics submissions using DDEX MEAD (Media Enrichment and Description) version 1.1. Different DDEX formats should be agreed upon separately.

MEAD Integration

Standard Version: MEAD 1.1
Official Reference: DDEX MEAD Documentation

The ISRC field is mandatory.

4. Lyrics-Specific API

API Endpoint

4.1 batch.metadata.post

To submit data, use the following endpoint:

POST https://api.musixmatch.com/ws/1.1/batch.metadata.post?batch_type=lyrics_post&apikey=YOUR_API_KEY

Payload parameters:

{
  "data": {
    "isrc": "string",
    "ext_id": "string",
    "lyrics_body": "string"
  }
}

Example response:

{
    "message": {
        "header": {
            "status_code": 200,
            "execute_time": 0.42
        },
        "body": {
            "created_batch_list": [
                1671539
            ]
        }
    }
}

4.2 batch.metadata.get

To find more information about the aforementioned ID:

GET https://api.musixmatch.com/ws/1.1/batch.metadata.get?batch_id=1671539

Example response:

{
    "message": {
        "header": {
            "status_code": 200,
            "execute_time": 0.14
        },
        "body": {
            "batch_id": 1671539,
            "status": "success",
            "batch_step_list": [
              ...
            ]
        }
    }
}

To retrieve the data the developer has to set a polling to the API above.

5. Publisher-Specific API: work.post

Note: The work.post API is exclusively for publishers to submit copyright information and lyrics associated with musical works. If you are a label looking to send lyrics in bulk, please use one of the other methods listed in the documentation.

API Endpoint

POST https://api.musixmatch.com/ws/1.1/work.post

For detailed information on using this API refer to our official documentation. For activation, please contact your Musixmatch representative.

6. Synchronised lyrics

Musixmatch supports several formats for the submission of synchronised lyrics, ensuring compatibility and ease of integration for our partners.

LRC (LyRiCs) The LRC format is a plain text file that contains time tags for synchronising lyrics with an audio file. It is widely used and easily editable, making it a popular choice for many contributors.
TTML (Timed Text Markup Language) TTML is an XML-based format designed for representing timed text information, such as captions and subtitles. It offers robust capabilities for complex synchronisation scenarios, including styling and positioning.

Please refer to your account manager to set up a dedicated flow.

7. Pre-released lyrics

For lyrics submissions prior to the release date, a separate file with specific requirements is necessary. Please refer to your account manager to set up a dedicated flow.

This documentation is subject to updates as formats evolve. Partners will be notified of any significant changes to submission requirements.

Introduction

API Reference

Documentation for Partners

Overview of Accepted Formats

Submission Process

Best Practices

1. CSV Standard Format for Lyrics Submission

File Specifications

Headers and Fields

Example

2. JSONL Format

JSON Schema

JSONL Example with Single Lyrics

JSONL Example with Multiple Lyrics

3. DDEX MEAD Standard

MEAD Integration

4. Lyrics-Specific API

API Endpoint

4.1 batch.metadata.post

4.2 batch.metadata.get

5. Publisher-Specific API: work.post

API Endpoint

6. Synchronised lyrics

7. Pre-released lyrics

Introduction

API Reference

​Documentation for Partners

​Overview of Accepted Formats

​Submission Process

​Best Practices

​1. CSV Standard Format for Lyrics Submission

​File Specifications

​Headers and Fields

​Example

​2. JSONL Format

​JSON Schema

​JSONL Example with Single Lyrics

​JSONL Example with Multiple Lyrics

​3. DDEX MEAD Standard

​MEAD Integration

​4. Lyrics-Specific API

​API Endpoint

​4.1 batch.metadata.post

​4.2 batch.metadata.get

​5. Publisher-Specific API: work.post

​API Endpoint

​6. Synchronised lyrics

​7. Pre-released lyrics

Documentation for Partners

Overview of Accepted Formats

Submission Process

Best Practices

1. CSV Standard Format for Lyrics Submission

File Specifications

Headers and Fields

Example

2. JSONL Format

JSON Schema

JSONL Example with Single Lyrics

JSONL Example with Multiple Lyrics

3. DDEX MEAD Standard

MEAD Integration

4. Lyrics-Specific API

API Endpoint

4.1 batch.metadata.post

4.2 batch.metadata.get

5. Publisher-Specific API: work.post

API Endpoint

6. Synchronised lyrics

7. Pre-released lyrics