Genius Lyrics Scraper

Extract song lyrics, detailed metadata, credits, and community annotations from Genius.com -- the world's largest collection of song lyrics and musical knowledge. Translate lyrics into any language with built-in AI translation.

No API tokens required. Just enter a search query or paste Genius URLs and get structured data back in seconds. Pay only for what you scrape, starting at $0.004 per song.

Features

• Full lyrics extraction with verse/chorus/bridge section labels parsed automatically
• AI-powered translation -- translate lyrics to any language, with two pricing tiers
• Rich metadata including album, release date, cover art, and verified status
• Credits -- producers, writers, and featured artists
• Community annotations -- crowd-sourced lyric explanations (optional, higher cost tier)
• Media links -- Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and SoundCloud URLs when available
• Tags and genres for categorization
• Smart remix filtering -- automatically excludes remix results unless your query asks for them
• Lyrics cleaning -- strips junk headers (e.g. [Letra de "..."]) and collapses excessive whitespace
• No API token needed -- uses the public Genius search endpoint, zero setup required
• Two input modes -- search by query or provide direct Genius URLs
• Pay-per-event pricing -- you only pay for successfully scraped songs, no platform rental fees
• Anti-bot protection -- rotating User-Agents, session pools, rate limiting, and proxy support

What Data Can You Extract?

For every song, the actor extracts up to 19 data fields:

Field	Type	Description	Example
title	string	Song title	"Bohemian Rhapsody"
lyrics	string	Full plain-text lyrics with section markers	"[Intro]\nIs this the real life?..."
lyricsSections	array	Lyrics broken into labeled sections	[{"label": "Intro", "text": "..."}]
translatedLyrics	string	AI-translated lyrics (if translation enabled)	"[Intro]\nEs esto la vida real?..."
translatedLyricsSections	array	Translated lyrics broken into sections	[{"label": "Intro", "text": "..."}]
primaryArtist	string	Main artist name	"Queen"
featuredArtists	array	Featured artists list	["David Bowie"]
album	string	Album name	"A Night at the Opera"
releaseDate	string	Release date as displayed on Genius	"October 31, 1975"
coverArtUrl	string	Song or album cover art image URL	"https://images.genius.com/..."
annotationCount	number	Number of community annotations on the page	87
annotations	array	Annotation fragment texts (only when enabled)	[{"fragment": "...", "annotation": "..."}]
producers	array	Producer credits	["Roy Thomas Baker", "Queen"]
writers	array	Writer credits	["Freddie Mercury"]
tags	array	Genre and style tags	["Rock", "Classic Rock"]
mediaLinks	array	External streaming/video links	[{"provider": "spotify", "url": "..."}]
lyricsVerified	boolean	Whether the lyrics are marked as verified	true
url	string	Genius page URL	"https://genius.com/Queen-bohemian-rhapsody-lyrics"
scrapedAt	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of extraction	"2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"

How to Use

Option A: Search by Query

Enter any combination of song name, artist, or keywords into the searchQuery field. The actor searches Genius and scrapes the matching results.

{
    "searchQuery": "Bohemian Rhapsody Queen",
    "maxResults": 1
}

More search examples:

{
    "searchQuery": "Kendrick Lamar HUMBLE",
    "maxResults": 5,
    "includeAnnotations": true
}

{
    "searchQuery": "love songs 2024",
    "maxResults": 20
}

Remix results are automatically filtered out unless your query contains the word "remix".

Option B: Provide Direct URLs

Paste one or more Genius song page URLs into the startUrls field to scrape specific songs directly, bypassing the search step.

{
    "startUrls": [
        { "url": "https://genius.com/Queen-bohemian-rhapsody-lyrics" },
        { "url": "https://genius.com/Radiohead-creep-lyrics" },
        { "url": "https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-humble-lyrics" }
    ]
}

Enable Annotations (Optional)

Set includeAnnotations to true to extract community annotations. These are crowd-sourced explanations of lyric meanings, cultural references, and wordplay -- the feature that makes Genius unique.

{
    "searchQuery": "HUMBLE Kendrick Lamar",
    "includeAnnotations": true
}

Including annotations increases the per-song cost from $0.004 to $0.009.

Translate Lyrics (Optional)

Translate lyrics to any language using AI. Just set the translateTo field to a language name. Translation works out of the box with no setup, or you can bring your own API key for a lower rate.

Integrated mode (no setup needed, $0.008/song):

{
    "searchQuery": "Bohemian Rhapsody Queen",
    "translateTo": "Spanish"
}

BYOK mode (your own key, $0.002/song):

{
    "searchQuery": "Bohemian Rhapsody Queen",
    "translateTo": "Japanese",
    "translateApiKey": "sk-your-openai-api-key"
}

The BYOK mode supports any OpenAI-compatible provider. Override the model and endpoint for non-OpenAI services:

{
    "searchQuery": "Bohemian Rhapsody Queen",
    "translateTo": "French",
    "translateApiKey": "your-api-key",
    "translateModel": "gemini-2.0-flash",
    "translateBaseUrl": "https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/openai/"
}

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
searchQuery	string	--	Search for songs by song name, artist, or any keyword.
startUrls	array	--	Direct Genius song page URLs to scrape. Use instead of searchQuery for specific songs.
maxResults	integer	10	Maximum number of songs to scrape. Set to 0 for no limit (max 10,000).
includeAnnotations	boolean	false	Scrape community annotations. Increases cost per song from $0.004 to $0.009.
translateTo	string	--	Translate lyrics to this language (e.g. "Spanish", "Japanese"). Leave empty to skip.
translateApiKey	string	--	Your OpenAI-compatible API key for cheaper BYOK translation ($0.002/song instead of $0.008/song).
translateModel	string	gpt-4o-mini	Chat completions model to use. Only relevant when providing your own API key.
translateBaseUrl	string	--	API base URL for non-OpenAI providers (e.g. Google Gemini, Anthropic).
proxyConfiguration	object	--	Proxy settings. Recommended for avoiding rate limits on large jobs.

You must provide either searchQuery or startUrls. All other parameters are optional.

Output Example

{
    "title": "Bohemian Rhapsody",
    "lyrics": "[Intro]\nIs this the real life?\nIs this just fantasy?\nCaught in a landslide\nNo escape from reality\n\n[Verse 1]\nOpen your eyes\nLook up to the skies and see...",
    "lyricsSections": [
        {
            "label": "Intro",
            "text": "Is this the real life?\nIs this just fantasy?\nCaught in a landslide\nNo escape from reality"
        },
        {
            "label": "Verse 1",
            "text": "Open your eyes\nLook up to the skies and see..."
        }
    ],
    "translatedLyrics": null,
    "translatedLyricsSections": null,
    "primaryArtist": "Queen",
    "featuredArtists": [],
    "album": "A Night at the Opera",
    "releaseDate": "October 31, 1975",
    "coverArtUrl": "https://images.genius.com/...",
    "annotationCount": 87,
    "annotations": null,
    "producers": ["Roy Thomas Baker", "Queen"],
    "writers": ["Freddie Mercury"],
    "tags": ["Rock", "Classic Rock", "British Rock"],
    "mediaLinks": [
        { "provider": "spotify", "url": "https://open.spotify.com/track/..." },
        { "provider": "youtube", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=..." }
    ],
    "lyricsVerified": true,
    "url": "https://genius.com/Queen-bohemian-rhapsody-lyrics",
    "scrapedAt": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
}

When translation is enabled, the translatedLyrics and translatedLyricsSections fields are populated with the same structure as the original lyrics.

Pricing

This actor uses Pay Per Event (PPE) pricing. You only pay for successfully scraped songs. No fixed monthly fees.

Event	Price per Song	Description
Song scraped	$0.004	Lyrics + full metadata extracted
Song with annotations	$0.009	Lyrics + metadata + community annotations
Translation (integrated)	+$0.008	AI translation using built-in key (no setup)
Translation (BYOK)	+$0.002	AI translation using your own API key

Translation charges are added on top of the base scraping charge.

Cost Examples

Scenario	Songs	Per-Song Cost	Total
Lyrics + metadata only	100	$0.004	$0.40
Lyrics + annotations	100	$0.009	$0.90
Lyrics + integrated translation	100	$0.004 + $0.008	$1.20
Lyrics + BYOK translation	100	$0.004 + $0.002	$0.60
Lyrics + annotations + BYOK translation	100	$0.009 + $0.002	$1.10
Large catalog scrape (no extras)	1,000	$0.004	$4.00

Use Cases

Music Research and Analysis

Analyze lyrics across genres, time periods, or artists for academic research, sentiment analysis, or trend detection. Section-parsed output makes structural analysis straightforward.

Multilingual Lyric Projects

Translate lyrics from any language to any other using the built-in AI translation. Build bilingual lyric databases, language learning materials, or localized music content.

Songwriting Reference

Study song structures, rhyme patterns, and lyrical techniques from professional songwriters. Annotations provide crowd-sourced explanations of craft decisions and cultural context.

Data Science and NLP

Build datasets for natural language processing, recommendation engines, or music information retrieval systems. Clean, structured JSON output is ready for direct ingestion into data pipelines.

Music Journalism

Quickly gather accurate credits, release dates, and streaming links for articles and reviews. Cover art URLs are included for editorial use.

Educational Content

Use annotations to create educational materials about music history, poetic devices, and cultural references in popular music.

Rate Limiting and Best Practices

The actor automatically handles rate limiting with:

• Random delays between requests (0.5-2 seconds)
• Maximum 3 concurrent requests
• Session pool with automatic rotation (10 sessions, 30-minute lifespan)
• Rotating User-Agent headers across Chrome, Firefox, and Safari

For large scraping jobs (500+ songs), it is recommended to:

1. Enable proxy rotation via the proxy configuration input
2. Use residential proxies if you encounter blocks with datacenter proxies
3. Start with a small maxResults to verify your configuration works
4. Run very large jobs (10,000+ songs) in batches

FAQ

Do I need a Genius API token? No. This actor uses the public Genius search endpoint and does not require any API token or account. Just enter a search query or paste URLs and it works.

What is the difference between searchQuery and startUrls? Use searchQuery when you want to find songs by name, artist, or keyword -- the actor will search Genius and scrape the results. Use startUrls when you already have specific Genius page URLs you want to scrape directly. You should provide one or the other, not both.

Why are remix results excluded from my search? The actor automatically filters out remix versions from search results to give you the original songs. If you specifically want remixes, include the word "remix" in your search query and they will be included.

Why are lyrics sometimes missing? Some songs on Genius have no lyrics transcribed yet, or the page structure may differ from what the scraper expects. The actor logs warnings for pages where lyrics could not be extracted. Metadata and credits are still returned.

Can I scrape instrumental tracks? Yes, but the lyrics field will be null or contain only section labels like [Instrumental]. All other metadata and credits are still extracted.

How does the translation feature work? When you set translateTo to a language name (e.g. "Spanish"), the actor sends the lyrics to an AI model for translation. Section markers like [Verse], [Chorus], and [Bridge] are preserved in the translated output. There are two pricing tiers: integrated (no setup, $0.008/song) and BYOK (your own OpenAI-compatible key, $0.002/song).

Can I use a non-OpenAI provider for translation? Yes. The BYOK mode supports any OpenAI-compatible API. Set translateApiKey to your provider's API key, translateModel to the model name, and translateBaseUrl to the provider's API endpoint. For example, Google Gemini, Together AI, or any OpenAI-compatible service.

What is the maximum number of songs I can scrape? The maxResults field accepts values up to 10,000. Set it to 0 for no limit. For very large jobs, consider running in batches for reliability.

Does this actor work with the Apify MCP server? Yes. This actor uses PPE pricing, which is fully compatible with AI/MCP integrations. AI agents can discover and run this actor programmatically.