beets-getlrc 0.1.12

Fetch synced .lrc lyrics from lrclib.net for beets

beets-getlrc

A beets plugin that downloads synced .lrc lyric files for your music library.

Quick Start

Install:

pipx inject beets beets-getlrc

Enable the plugin:

plugins:
  - getlrc

Fetch synced lyrics:

beet getlrc

Your music files will end up like:

Artist/
└── Album/
    ├── Song.flac
    └── Song.lrc

What does this do?

Some digital audio players (like the Sony Walkman, HiBy R3, Shanling M0 Pro, FiiO devices, etc.) can display synced lyrics — the kind that scroll line-by-line as the song plays. However, they usually require a separate .lrc file stored right next to each track.

Beets already has a built-in lyrics plugin that fetches plain-text lyrics and stores them directly inside your library database. beets-getlrc fills a different gap: it fetches synced .lrc files from lrclib.net and saves them as sidecar files directly alongside your FLAC or MP3 files.

Fallback Options

If synced lyrics aren't available for a track, the plugin can optionally:

• Fall back to plain lyrics as .lrc files — write unsynced lyrics to .lrc files so your DAP can still display them (though without timing)
• Store plain lyrics in the beets database — save unsynced lyrics in your library so they're searchable and preserved

These options let you build a more complete lyrics collection, even for tracks where lrclib.net doesn't have synced versions.

Installation

If you installed beets with pip:

pip install beets-getlrc

If you installed beets with pipx (recommended):

pipx inject beets beets-getlrc

Configuration

Add getlrc to your beets configuration file (config.yaml)

plugins:

• getlrc
• ... your other plugins

adjust the options as desired:

Parameter	Default Value	Description
auto	yes	Fetch lyrics automatically when importing new music (runs after all import prompts complete)
overwrite	no	Replace .lrc files that already exist
timeout	30	Seconds to wait before giving up on a single request
retries	3	How many times to retry on timeout or network errors
delay	0.2	Delay in seconds between requests (to be respectful to lrclib.net)
cache_results	yes	Cache results in the beets database to avoid re-checking tracks
recheck_days	30	Days before retrying cached "not found" results
fallback_to_plain	no	Store plain (unsynced) lyrics in the beets database if synced ones unavailable
fallback_to_plain_lrc	no	Write plain (unsynced) lyrics as .lrc files if synced ones unavailable
stats	yes	Print a summary of results when done
progress	yes	Show per-track progress and progress bar
workers	4	Number of concurrent requests; increase for faster fetching on good networks
quiet_import	no	Suppress terminal output during automatic import-time fetching

Usage

Automatic (during import)

When you import new music with beet import, the plugin automatically fetches lyrics in the background. It waits quietly until all import prompts are done, then starts fetching so your terminal stays clean.

Manual (on demand)

Run it manually any time with the beet getlrc command:

Command	Description
beet getlrc	Fetch lyrics for all tracks in your library
beet getlrc beatles	Only fetch for tracks matching "beatles"
beet getlrc -a beatles	Fetch for albums matching "beatles"
beet getlrc -f	Force overwrite existing .lrc files
beet getlrc -p	Pretend mode — shows what would be fetched without writing anything
beet getlrc -q	Quiet mode — suppress per-track output and progress bar
beet getlrc -w 8	Use 8 worker threads for parallel fetching
beet getlrc --delay 1	Wait 1 second between requests

How it Works

1. Query metadata — Uses artist name and track title from your library tags
2. Search lrclib.net — Looks for synced lyrics matching the metadata
3. Save as .lrc — Writes synced lyrics as sidecar files next to your audio
4. Fallback options — Optionally stores plain lyrics if synced ones aren't found
5. Cache results — Remembers what was found to avoid re-checking
6. Handle errors — Continues processing even if some requests timeout or fail

Typical Workflow

1. Import music with beet import → plugin fetches quietly in background
2. After import completes → you see a summary of what was found/created
3. Sync music to your DAP, Plexamp, Navidrome, or other player
4. Enjoy synced lyrics that scroll as songs play

Example

Code

beet getlrc wetleg
getlrc: No synced lyrics: Wet Leg - Wet Leg - Being in Love
getlrc: Created: Wet Leg - Wet Leg - Chaise Longue

Resulting Directory Structure

├── Being in Love.flac
├── Chaise Longue.flac
└── Chaise Longue.lrc

Requirements

• beets 2.0.0 or newer
• python 3.9 or later
• internet

Features & Notes

• Resilient — Handles network timeouts gracefully and continues processing. If a request times out, that track is logged and processing continues with the next one.
• Fast — Uses multiple worker threads (configurable) for parallel requests, making large library fetches much quicker.
• Smart — Caches results in the beets database so previously-checked tracks aren't re-queried every time you run the command.
• Customizable — Configure fallback lyrics options, number of workers, retry behavior, delays, and more.
• Clean import — During beet import, fetching happens silently after all user prompts are done, keeping your terminal uncluttered.
• Synced lyrics only by default — If lrclib.net doesn't have synced lyrics for a track, no .lrc file is created (unless you enable a fallback option).

Both synced and plain fallback

plugins:
  - getlrc
getlrc:
  fallback_to_plain: yes
  fallback_to_plain_lrc: yes