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Spotify and Genius are collaborating on info-rich Behind the Lyrics playlists

Spotify and Genius are collaborating on info-rich Behind the Lyrics playlists

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But they only work for desktop and iPhone users — for now, anyway

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Spotify and Genius are working together on a new set of playlists called Behind the Lyrics, and they feature functionality that's somewhere between a Snapchat story and a mobile-ready Pop-Up Video. If that sounds like fun to you, you're in luck: the two services' first collaborative playlists are going live today. "Behind the Lyrics (Hip-Hop)" is the lone genre-centric playlist being made available this morning, and it's doing so alongside artist-specific playlists covering the work of Pusha T, Tinashé, and Diplo.

For the moment, the only version of Spotify that supports the playlists' new feature is the service's iPhone app, and it has to be installed on iPhone 5 and newer devices. Desktop and web users have to move to Genius' website to check it out, and they also have to have Spotify's desktop app installed. A Spotify representative confirmed the company "will be rolling the experience out on other platforms soon," but there's no firm date for that roll-out yet. (Sorry, Android users.)

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The playlists under the Behind the Lyrics umbrella pull lyrics, fun facts, and quotes relevant to included songs and feed them to the listener as the song progresses. Some of the contributions are verified notes provided by the artists themselves, and others are supplied by the Genius community. The former notes look like the one above, an annotation Selena Gomez contributed to her single "Hands to Myself"; other contributions appear without a badge, and tweets are labelled as such. The small circle in the bottom-right of the Genius window tells you how much time is left to view the current annotation.

"Expect the Genius treatment on much more music you love soon."

It's a cute feature, though it's one whose success will likely depend on Spotify and Genius' ability to secure verified contributions. If users are used to picking a new song and slipping their phones into their pockets, is a mish-mash of lyrics, tweets, and anonymous commentary enough to keep them looking at their screens? Spotify also has an existing relationship with Musixmatch, a service that supplies lyrics for a wide range of Spotify songs and lets users follow along as their selections play, but the company is making it clear it won't be affected by their relationship with Genius. "Spotify's partnership with Genius is complementary to Musixmatch," said the company in a statement. "We have no plans to replace Musixmatch; we're adding a new layer of context behind the lyrics to create a deeper connection between fans and their favorite artists." Either way, Spotify and Genius are still developing their working relationship: "Expect the Genius treatment on much more music you love soon."

Update January 12th 3:45PM ET: In a statement emailed to The Verge, Musixmatch CEO and founder Massimo Ciociola has confirmed, "We have a deal in place with Spotify and... we're not going to be replaced."

Update January 12th 8:30PM ET: The article has been updated to reflect the statement above and a statement subsequently provided by Spotify.