how to add songs to genius
The Genius community prides itself on having accurate lyrics for new releases first. We're also constantly trying to grow our database by adding old songs and more obscure tracks.
How To Add LyricsAnyone can add a new song by clicking the "ADD A SONG" link at the top of the page. —> More on adding lyrics
Lyric AccuracyGenius prides itself in hosting accurate lyrics—this means lyrics should look clean and concise and the text itself should be as correct as possible.
Grammar (Spelling, Capitalization, etc.)
Double-check all spelling
Use standardized spellings
Spelling numbers
Question Marks & Exclamation Marks
Quotation Marks
Hyphens and Em Dashes
Only use conventional capitalization
Transcribe all lyrics as the artist says them
Incomprehensible Lyrics
If you don't understand a lyric, use ""Apostrophes
Always use apostrophes when writing contractions
Use typewriter apostrophes/quotation marks
Ad-libs / Other
Transcribe every ad-lib
Reversed/Backwards lyrics
Yodeling/Scatting
How To Format LyricsIn addition to lyric accuracy, maintaining easy-to-read and well-organized lyric formatting is a crucial part of Genius.
Lyrics should follow the song's streaming version
Use section headers above different song parts
Type out all lyrics, even when a section is repeated
Break transcriptions up into individual lines
Include a header if the song is recorded in a language other than English
Sound effects should be written within asterisks
Censored words should be written as a series of asterisks
Instrumental songs can be added to Genius using the "" tag
Translations and RomanizationsAdditional song resources such as translations and romanizations should be added to Genius on a page separate from the primary lyric page:
Romanized Lyrics
Translations
How To Edit LyricsDirect Edits: Most users can directly edit lyrics  by clicking the "Edit Lyrics" button above the lyrics and below the page's header -> More on editing lyrics
Proposing Lyric Edits:  We're currently in the process of rolling out our Proposed Lyric Edits feature. This feature allows users and non-users to propose edits to lyrics that they normally wouldn't have access to edit on their own. Once a proposal has been submitted, it must be reviewed before being integrated into the lyrics. You can follow THIS THREAD to stay up-to-date on our rollout of this feature.
How to propose lyric edits
How to moderate proposed lyric edits
More on proposed lyric edits
Integrating Lyric CorrectionsWhile our Proposed Lyric Edits feature should catch most lyric corrections, sometimes users leave their suggestions in other areas of song pages. For editors, here are the best practices for handling those corrections in their respective setting:
In the comment section below the lyrics —> Upvote and accept if right, reject if wrong
In the comment section below an annotation —> Upvote and archive if right, archive if wrong
As a question in the Q+A section —> Upvote and archive if right, archive if wrong
As an annotation —> Accept + delete if right, reject if wrong
Adding Unreleased Music to GeniusUnreleased Songs (Snippets & Live Performance Premieres)
Unreleased songs should ONLY be added to Genius if one of the following conditions applies:
A snippet/full song has surfaced or the song has been performed live
The song title has been revealed by an official source
In either case, citing your source is crucial. After the song has been added to the site, create a song bio with the following information:
When/where the unreleased song was first revealed or where it initially surfaced
If applicable, link to the video/audio (only if the media is found on social media, SoundCloud, or YouTube—DON'T link to leak sites)
Example: This snippet originally surfaced on Lil Yachty's Instagram story on March 2nd, 2018.
Adding Unreleased Albums to Genius
If an artist announces that they're working on a project, but the title hasn't been announced, you can use the artist's initials followed by the number that corresponds with how many albums they have in their discography. For example, if Drake is set to release his 5th studio album, it would be titled D5 until the official title is announced.
If an artist announces an album's title, it can be added to Genius as normal.
Adding Tracks to an Unreleased Album
If an unreleased album's tracklist hasn't been officially revealed, only add the following tracks to it:
Songs that have officially been confirmed to appear on the project
Recent singles that were not a part of a previous album cycle
Recent snippets or confirmed titles
Track numbers —> Make sure to leave track numbers blank until the tracklist has been officially announced—adding track numbers gives the page a heightened sense of authenticity.
Album bio —> The bio section should include sources as to when and where the title and artwork (if applicable) were announced. If the album's tracklist is still speculative, add the following in bold to the top of the album bio:
This tracklist is unconfirmed. It is compiled of recent singles, snippets, and song titles sourced from streaming services, PRO's, and social media. It is purely speculative and has not been confirmed by the artist. We will update this tracklist as more information comes to light.What Else Does Genius Transcribe?Genius transcribes EVERYTHING! Whether it be musicals, poetry, scripts, or anything else, we're on top of it.
Want to Dive Deeper?But wait, there's more! Since you know the basics and have now become hooked on transcribing, here's how you can take your transcription game to the next level:
Release Calendars
Transcribing from and updating our release calendars are a great way to help out! Whenever you transcribe a song found on the release calendar, you can either edit or leave a comment on the annotation, indicating that the song is up.
Join the @transcribers forum!
Subscribing to the @transcribers forum is a major key to becoming a top notch transcriber. Here, you'll get updates, new transcription requests, and general conversation around transcription topics. If subscribed, you'll also get notifications when someone around the site needs your help.
Transcribing high traffic pages
We've all been here before—everybody wants to transcribe the biggest song releases. When everybody tries to transcribe at the same time, it only makes the process more strenuous and time-consuming. There is currently no way to entirely prevent other users from attempting to transcribe while you are, but here are some tips:
How to transcribe high traffic songs
High traffic song etiquette
Shell Pages
What is a shell page?How to make shell pages
Non-Anticipated Releases/Already Released Songs
Highly Anticipated Releases
Managing Duplicate Pages
What is a duplicate page?
How can I determine which page is considered a "duplicate"?
I know what the duplicate page is—now what?
Leaked Songs
What is a leak?
What is the protocol for transcribing a leaked song?
Awarding Transcription IQ
How does transcription IQ get awarded?
What songs should be manually awarded IQ?
ContactAnyone in the @transcribers forum can answer questions about the transcription experience on Genius. If you have any additional questions, feel free to hit up Stephen (@streetlights)!