The appeal of Spotify for music lovers primarily lies in the ability to stream or download the content onto virtually any device, as well as digital infrastructure designed for musicians like the ability to stream concerts and offer exclusive content.
Here’s how you can transcribe audio content on Spotify into text, and why you’ll want to do so.
Why Should I Transcribe Spotify Audio, Even Music?
In short, there are several key benefits of music and podcast transcription:
- Makes your content accessible to people with disabilities if you transcribe it and post it online
- Podcast transcription can be highly beneficial for SEO purposes
- Some people prefer reading over listening, since many are visual learners
If you transcribe podcasts then it provides opportunities for further content creation and backlinking to engage your fans. For instance, if you’re discussing something on your podcast that the listener may want to reference later, a transcription will provide that information and you can confirm that it is spelled correctly.
The World Health Organization estimates that 15 percent of the world’s population has some type of disability, making it the world’s largest minority group. Of that 15 percent, 6.1 percent of the global population (466 million people) have some degree of hearing loss. Diminished hearing can sometimes make dialog and lyrics difficult to understand, and having a transcription or lyrics helps the listener get a better feel for the content.
However, even if the listener does not have hearing loss and thus does not need transcription for accessibility purposes, it can also make it easier to look up song names, lines they remember, or read when they can’t have sound on (such as in a waiting room).
How to Transcribe Podcasts and Lyrics for Spotify Yourself
There are a couple of options for music transcription and transcribing podcasts specifically for Spotify. The first option is to simply take on this task yourself by listening to the audio and writing it out. Free programs that are easy to use, such as VLC Media Player, can handle playback at far slower speeds and different frequencies which make the content easier to understand and type out cohesively. In VLC Media Player in particular, it is very easy to find specific segments down to the second by using CNTRL-T to go back precisely where you left off in the transcription process.
The main drawback is that this process is incredibly time-consuming. Getting song lyrics is a simpler process since they were already written prior to recording. The length of the podcast episode you’re transcribing will take easily three or four times the time to transcribe, so you’ll easily have to set aside two or three hours to transcribe a 30-minute podcast.
Using a Professional Transcription Service to Transcribe Spotify Files
Spotify does not currently let you download files directly from Spotify, but there is a workaround tool you can use called Sidify to download Spotify podcasts, music, or any other audio files on Spotify.
How to Transcribe Spotify Audio Files to Text
Once you’ve downloaded your Spotify audio file with Sidify, go to Rev.com and upload your file to be transcribed. Follow these steps:
1. Use Sidify to download an audio file from Spotify on your computer (MP3 is the preferred option)
2. Go to this webpage and click “Upload Files”
3. Choose the audio file you want transcribed from your computer
4. Choose any custom transcription options, and then click “CHECKOUT”
5. You’ll receive your professional transcript within the next business day!
