Music APIs (2024): Keys to Creating Music Services That Provide Better Insights and Opportunities

Imagine dancing through diverse playlists on numerous platforms, tracking new music releases, tangoing with song or album metadata, or diving deep into radio spins to examine your favorite artists’ reach. Create new ways to filter all of the music that has been released and continues to be released each day. There are so many ways to leverage music data, and it doesn’t always make sense to start from scratch. This overview of music APIs is there to help your entrepreneurial software development journey, whether you’re investigating music, creating an app, or looking for other ways to access the fragmented data in today’s music industry.

(Please leave a comment if you are aware of other Music APIs that deserve to be listed in this overview.)

8 Types of Music Data APIs

The APIs can be divided into the following categories:

• Audio Analysis
• Audio Content
• DSPs
• Events
• Lyrics
• Miscellaneous
• Music Analytics
• Music Metadata

Audio Analysis

• Auphonic: The Auphonic API service offers automated (AI based) audio post-production and processing tools. It enables developers to integrate Auphonic’s advanced algorithms for audio leveling, noise reduction, and encoding into their applications. This API streamlines audio production workflows, ensuring high-quality sound for podcasts, broadcasts, and various multimedia projects with minimal manual intervention.
• SampleSumo: SampleSumo combines music software development, intelligent audio processing, and hands-on experience with music creation tools to build solutions for end-users (musicians, gamers, producers, …) and media-industry companies. Contact SampleSumo for access to their API.
• sonicAPI: Web API for online music processing. sonicAPI.com provides the means to integrate new, innovative and high quality audio processing into web applications, apps, desktop software and in-house solutions.

Audio Content

• 7digital: 7digital is a digital music platform that provides a comprehensive catalog of high-quality music downloads and streaming services used by leading apps in fitness, social, radio, gaming and background music. The core of 7digital’s business is the provision of robust and scalable technical infrastructure and extensive global music rights used to create music streaming and radio services.
• 8Tracks: 8tracks is an internet radio created by people, not algorithms. Note: As of February 2015, 8tracks is no longer issuing new API keys.
• AcousticID: Open source audio identification. The AcoustID web service currently supports only two operations, searching in the fingerprint database and submitting new fingerprints into the database. Links for Documentation, Statistics, and Sign in
• AI Mastering: AI-powered online audio mastering service. AI Mastering improves sound quality automatically and brings the sound quality of music closer to that of commercial music. Note that the focus is shifting from the API to their offline AI Mastering Desktop (open source). Go to : https://github.com/ai-mastering/phaselimiter-gui/releases
• ARCCloud: Automatic Content Recognition Services (includes audio recognition). Provides a full suite of API & SDK to enable robust, scalable and flexible integrations. You can not only use SDK & API to receive recognition results, but also control everything on the platform via RESTful API. (Documentation)
• Beatport: Beatport API facilitates seamless integration of electronic music content into applications, offering access to one of the largest electronic music catalogs. Developers can retrieve details on tracks, releases, and artists. Unique features include advanced search capabilities, real-time data updates, and extensive genre classifications, providing a specialized tool for creating dynamic music-centric experiences with a focus on the electronic music genre.
• BMAT: The BMAT Vericast API allows you to build your own interfaces or dashboards based on the BMAT music identification platform for audio recognition and broadcast monitoring. Access to the Vericast service is provided via a REST style interface. Developers can integrate features like music monitoring, audio fingerprinting, and music recognition into their applications. BMAT’s comprehensive music data solutions enable users to track and analyze music usage across various platforms, providing valuable insights for rights management, licensing, and content monetization strategies.
• ccMixter: ccMixter is a collaborative produsage music platform that focuses on Creative Commons-licensed content. It encourages artists to share, remix, and reuse music freely. Users can find a diverse array of tracks, stems, and samples to create new music projects. ccMixter fosters a global community of musicians and producers passionate about collaborative creativity.
• Feed.fm: FeedFM API is purpose-built for businesses, offering a plug-and-play solution for integrating licensed and popular music into digital experiences and apps. Its robust features include a comprehensive music CMS, SDKs for easy integration, a customizable player with flexible playback options, and full-service onboarding. The unified music system simplifies streaming and licensing, making it a go-to choice for businesses.
• Freesound: The Freesound API service provides developers access to a vast database of user-contributed Creative Commons-licensed sounds. It enables integration of Freesound’s extensive collection of sound effects, samples, and recordings into applications. Developers can use this API to enhance multimedia projects, games, and other applications with a diverse range of freely accessible audio resources. Freesound has an active support community Google Groups: http://groups.google.com/group/freesound-api.
• Genrenator: The Genrenator API (by Binary Jazz) provides a unique music genre generation service. Developers can access the API to generate random and humorous music genres, adding a playful and creative element to applications. With its imaginative and unconventional approach, the Genrenator API offers a fun twist to exploring and categorizing music genres programmatically.
• iTunes Search: The Search API allows you to place search fields in your website to search for content within the iTunes Store and Apple Books Store. You can search for a variety of content; including books, movies, podcasts, music, music videos, audiobooks, and TV shows. You can also call an ID-based lookup request to create mappings between your content library and the digital catalog. Developers may use promotional content in the API, including previews of songs, music videos, album art and App icons only to promote store content and not for entertainment purposes.
• Jamendo: Jamendo.com is an independent online music platform that offers a vast collection of free and legal music. It connects independent artists with a global audience, allowing users to discover, stream, and download music for personal use. Jamendo supports emerging musicians by providing a platform for exposure while offering a unique and accessible music experience.
• Medianet: The MediaNet API unifies digital music catalog services and rights administration. It integrates an industry-leading sound recording catalog with a comprehensive publishing database, offering partners a rights-managed catalog and centralized service for digital music operations. With multiple integration tiers, it provides opt-in licensing, metadata feeds, and custom development options. The MN Open tier offers a fast and easy turn-key solution, while MN Enterprise provides powerful tools for on-demand streaming, radio, downloads, and more, along with rights administration features.
• Mixcloud: Mixcloud is an online platform that allows users to discover, listen to, and share audio content such as DJ mixes, podcasts, and radio shows. It caters to music fans by offering a legal and licensed platform for content creators to showcase their work, as well as fostering a vibrant global community of listeners.
• Napster: Napster is the original music industry disruptor and pioneer in music streaming and subscription services. Their API service provides developers with access to Napster’s extensive music catalog and functionality. It allows integration of Napster’s streaming, metadata, and recommendation features into third-party applications.
• Openwhyd API: The Openwhyd API (on GitHub) by https://openwhyd.org/ is a free and open-source music curation service that allows users to create playlists of music tracks from various streaming platforms (YouTube, SoundCloud, Vimeo, Deezer…) and to discover the music posted by other users.
• Qloo API (formerly TasteDive): Similar Artist API (Also Works For Movies And TV Shows). This API makes 750+ billion cultural correlations available — providing insights and data-driven personalization.
• Setlist.fm: setlist.fm is a free wiki-like service to collect and share setlists (the list of the songs a band or artist actually played during a concert). This API service provides methods to get both setlists and components of setlists such as artists, cities, countries or venues.
• Shoudio: The Shoudio API empowers developers to build innovative location-based audio applications on the Shoudio platform. Shoudio apps and sites range from GPS-based audio guides and multimedia tools to self-initiated interview tools, audioreporting, and storytelling audiomaps. By leveraging the Shoudio API, developers can enhance their projects with dynamic location-based audio experiences, enabling a variety of creative and interactive applications.
• SoundCloud: SoundCloud is an audio platform that enables anyone to upload, record, promote and share their sounds across the web. The SoundCloud API is used to access SoundCloud’s vast repository of user-generated audio content. It enables integration of SoundCloud’s streaming, uploading, and social features into third-party applications.
• The Echo Nest (GitHub repository)

DSPs

• Amazon: The Amazon Music API allows developers to integrate Amazon’s vast music catalog, enabling features like playlist creation, content playback, and user library management. With voice-controlled interactions through Alexa integration, the API facilitates a seamless and personalized music experience within the broader Amazon ecosystem, enhancing accessibility and user engagement.
• Apple Music: The Apple Music API provides developers access to a rich array of music data, allowing integration of the service’s extensive catalog into third-party applications. Offering features like playlist management, user libraries, and playback controls, the API empowers developers to create seamless, personalized music experiences while adhering to Apple’s ecosystem and user preferences.
• Audiomack: Audiomack’s API provides a comprehensive set of features for seamless music integration. Developers can access song or album info, explore most recent and genre-specific trends, and flag unplayable tracks. Users can interact by playing tracks, tracking ads, and managing favorites, reposts, and playlists. Robust metrics, artist-related functionalities, charts, and powerful search options contribute to a dynamic and customizable music experience.
• Bandcamp: Bandcamp’s API offers versatile features for labels and merchandise fulfillment partners. With the Account API, users can access bands through artist, label, or partnership accounts. The Sales API facilitates sales report retrieval in CSV or JSON formats, accessible through standard web development. The Merch Orders API allows querying, marking orders as shipped, and searching through orders based on labels, bands, or dates, providing comprehensive control over merchandise details and inventory.
• Deezer: Deezer is a French digital distribution platform dedicated to music streaming. The Deezer API empowers developers with access to a vast music catalog, enabling seamless integration of streaming and user data. Unique features include personalized recommendations, mood-based playlists, and Flow, an AI-driven personalized soundtrack. With social sharing capabilities, the API enhances the overall music discovery and sharing experience within applications.
• JioSaavn API [Unofficial]: The JioSaavn API, built in Python using Flask, allows users to fetch song details without needing JioSaavn links. Supporting direct song searches and URL-based requests, it provides comprehensive song information in JSON format, including details like singer, album, duration, language, and more. Unique features encompassing high-resolution thumbnails, album art links, lyrics, and download links enhance its versatility for developers.
• KKBOX: The KKBOX API provides developers access to one of the most extensive Asian music libraries, enabling seamless integration of streaming, playlist creation, and user interaction. Unique features include regional content, curated playlists, and personalized recommendations based on users’ listening habits, enhancing the API’s capability for a culturally diverse music experience.
• Pandora AMP (Artist Marketing Platform): The go-to platform for Pandora Reporting and Analytics Needs. All of the data insights necessary for measuring music success on Pandora can be found in the free and powerful Artist Marketing Platform. AMP offers a full suite of reporting and analytics tools.
• Spotify: The Spotify API empowers developers to integrate one of the world’s largest music catalogs into applications. It offers unique features like access to audio analysis, recommendations, and collaborative playlists. The API supports diverse use cases, from building personalized music apps to incorporating advanced music analytics, enhancing the overall user experience.
• YouTube: The YouTube API allows developers to integrate YouTube’s extensive video and music content into applications. Unique features include access to video playback, upload capabilities, and data on user activities. With YouTube’s vast user-generated content, the API enables diverse applications, from video streaming to social integration, enhancing overall user engagement.

Events

• Bandsintown: Bandsintown’s Events API uniquely empowers artists to promote shows on their websites with full rendering control. Tailored for artist promotion, it offers customization options, ensuring seamless integration and display of events. This API provides a specialized tool for musicians to effectively showcase and manage their live performances on their own platforms.
• Jambase: Jambase Concert & Festival API. JamBase’s robust and vetted database provides access to the entire world of live music. Use this API to Incorporate concert listings into your apps and services, Run analytics and identify trends and insights in the Live Music Industry, and create geo-targeted campaigns to reach music fans.
• SeatGeek: SeatGeek is a mobile ticketing platform that allows users to buy and sell tickets to live sporting events, concerts and theaters. The SeatsGeek API is a powerful tool that can be used to build applications facilitating event discovery. With a comprehensive live event directory, it provides access to extensive data and search capabilities. Following RESTful principles, it allows flexible queries via query strings, supporting various resources such as events, performers, venues, taxonomies, and recommendations for creating dynamic, user-centric applications.
• Songkick: The Songkick API stands out as the premier tool for live music enthusiasts, offering access to the world’s largest live music database with over 6 million concerts. Developers can seamlessly integrate upcoming and past events into websites or applications, enriching user experiences. The API supports requests for upcoming events, user-specific event tracking, past events, detailed event and venue information, similar artists, and efficient search capabilities.
• Ticketmaster: Ticketmaster is an American company specializing in the sale and distribution of entertainment tickets. Ticketmaster’s API offers comprehensive access to a vast array of live events, providing developers with detailed event information, including venues, artists, and ticketing details. With features like event discovery, seat maps, and interactive seat selection, the API empowers developers to create dynamic applications that enhance the overall user experience in the world of live entertainment.

Lyrics

• ChartLyrics: ChartLyrics is a lyrics database sorted by artists or songs. The ChartLyrics API offers developers access to a vast database of lyrics for integration into applications. With features like search functionalities, lyric retrieval, and song metadata, developers can enhance their platforms with lyric-related content. The API provides a valuable resource for music-centric applications, allowing users to seamlessly incorporate accurate and up-to-date lyrics information into their projects.
• Genius: Genius provides the lyrics, the stories behind the songs, and the creative connections that meaningfully drive culture. Genius also provides an API for lyrics / annotation: https://docs.genius.com/#/getting-started-h1
• KSoft.Si Lyrics: KSoft.Si is a content provider for Discord bot developers, server owners and end-users, providing an up-to-date database of lyrics, images, artists, etc. This API provides deep and powerful tools for searching lyrics, artists or albums. Unlike other APIs, it can also search by lyrics and does not need a separate artist and song name entries.
• LyricFind: LyricFind lets your users search through an extensive catalogue of lyrics to find the song they’re looking for. Search also allows users to create playlists based on lyrics and other relative keywords.
• Lyrics.ovh: Lyrics.ovh is a very simple API to retrieve the lyrics of a song.
• Musixmatch: Musixmatch focuses on building music metadata and lyrics database using AI & machine learning technology. The Musixmatch API can be used by developers to integrate lyrics and music metadata into applications. It offers access to one of the world’s largest lyrics databases, enabling features like lyric search, synchronization, and translations. The content accessed through the Musixmatch API includes extensive multilingual support, crowd-sourced contributions, and advanced lyric mapping.
• Vagalume: Vagalum is a crowdsourced lyrics and music knowledge database. Vagalum API gives developers a way to enhance applications with this rich music metadata and lyric information. The API gives access to details about artists, albums, tracks, and lyrics from a vast database. Unique features includes multilingual lyric support, and even synchronized lyrics for karaoke-style experiences. Vagalum particularly focusses on Brazilian music.

Music Analytics

• Chartmetric: Chartmetric is an online tool that provides music and artists analytics data collected from a wide range of external sources. The Chartmetric API offers developers extensive access to their music analytics, encompassing artist, track, playlist, and social media metrics. Its unique features include cross-platform analytics, influencer identification, and global music market insights. Chartmetric provides a wealth of data, and the API serves as a valuable tool for creating data-driven applications and services, contributing to strategic decision-making within the music industry.
• Songstats: The Songstats API gives you access to music data from 18 streaming and social media services. With features to fetch detailed playlist, chart, and audience information, it allows users to collect historical data on tracks, artists, and labels. The streamlined endpoints facilitate quick and easy implementation, saving development time while providing reliable and fast access to powerful music data for enhancing various platforms.

Music Metadata

• Cover Art Archive: A joint project between the Internet Archive and MusicBrainz, whose goal is to make cover art images available to everyone on the Internet in an organised and convenient way. Any requests to fetch cover art must go through the coverartarchive.org service. Click here for the Cover Art Archive API documentation.
• Discogs: Discogs is a huge comprehensive music database and marketplace.
• GnuDB: GnuDB is the home of the CDDB (previously hosted / operated by FreeDB until 2020). CDDB, short for Compact Disc Database, is a database for software applications to look up audio CD (compact disc) information over the Internet.
• Gracenote: Gracenote helps connect people with the digital entertainment they love by offering the largest database for music, sports, movies and TV shows, and creating services and technologies on a highly scalable platform.
• LastFm: Last.fm is both a web radio and a website offering a music statistics collection and recommendation system. The Last.fm API allows anyone to build their own programs using Last.fm data. Find out more about how you can plug directly into our vast database or browse the list of methods on the left.
• Music Story: Music Story specializes in the processing of music metadata. It offers to professionals curation, aggregation and editorial hierarchy services.
• MusicBrainz: MusicBrainz is an open music encyclopedia that collects music metadata and makes it available to the public. (Link to the general MusicBrainz documentation)
• Musicovery: Musicovery is a high-quality and comprehensive music recommendation engine that is very easy to integrate through its API. It provides 4 types of services: descriptive metadata on artists and tracks (genres, moods, era, geographic, acoustics descriptors…), recommendations and playlists, bespoke webservices to provide specific content (recommendation of live concerts, recommendation of playlists, Youtube channels,…), and advice on data analysis, algorithms, recommendation optimization, metadata sourcing and music UX design.
• OneMusicAPI: The databases OneMusicAPI aggregates data from MusicBrainz, Cover Art Archive, Acoustid, Wikipedia, Discogs and GnuDB (formerly FreeDB).
• SoundCharts API: Provides Actionable Data for the Music Industry (Real-time Airplay, Playlists, Charts and Social media monitoring). Used to track campaigns in real time, monitor any artist and compare their evolution, track more than 200 million data points daily to assess talent’s development and help companies decide who to sign. Analytics for Spotify, Apple Music, Instagram, JioSaavn and Gaana, Anghami, Airplay, Charts, Socials, and Playlists
• The Echo Nest (GitHub repository)
• TheAudioDB: TheAudioDB is a community database of Music Artwork, Metadata and Charts with a free JSON Music API.

Other / Miscellaneous Music APIs

• BBC: The BBC is a public service broadcaster. The BBC offers an API allowing developers to remix and mashup content from various BBC sites. Features include the Radio Programmes Schedule API, providing data from Radio Labs, programmes API for linking data on BBC programs, Music API linking artist data, Wildlife Finder RDF for wildlife information, and the Radio 1 API offering resources in multiple formats, fostering creative and interactive use of BBC content.
• Dizzyjam: The Dizzyjam API empowers bands, DJs, labels, and musicians to effortlessly create and sell merchandise with no upfront costs. This print-on-demand service allows users to design and open their merchandise store, printing and shipping orders directly to fans. The API offers catalog functions for stores and products, order calculations and checkout, store management tools for creation and editing, and detailed sales statistics, providing a comprehensive solution for personalized and profitable merchandise sales.
• Grooveshark.com unofficial API library (GitHub): Grooveshark.com was terminated on April 30, 2015, but the unofficial grooveshark API ruby library can be found on GitHub. This API gives you the ability to search and stream songs, manage playlists, media library and favorites. API was discovered using http proxy and does not pretend to be always valid due to website API changes. (Also see PyGrooveshark)
• Noteflight: Noteflight is a web-based music notation application that allows you to create, view, print, and listen to professional-quality music notation right in your browser. The Server API offers access to scores and user data with potent search capabilities. Affiliates can create members and enable single-click sign-on. The Client API empowers dynamic manipulation of embedded content using JavaScript, allowing control over audio playback, selection, cursor display, and more.
• Radio Browser: Radio Browser is a community driven effort (like wikipedia) with the aim of collecting as many internet radio and TV stations as possible. The Open API is open source for usage in own apps.
• Reverb: Reverb is an online marketplace for new, used and vintage music equipment. The Reverb API serves as a powerful tool for managing listings, orders, and payments on the online marketplace for music equipment. Users can create, update, and manage listings, handle orders, and navigate payment transactions. The API also facilitates shop settings management, allowing sellers to control vacation modes, account details, messages, and feedback. It includes a sandbox for testing functionalities.
• Spreaker: Spreaker is a podcasting tool that offers solutions to assist podcasters of all sizes on their journey. The Spreaker API is a comprehensive tool for developers to integrate and interact with the Spreaker podcasting platform. It offers a complete API reference covering user details, show information, episode metadata, messages, chapters, cuepoints, statistics, search capabilities, exploration features, tags, and widgets. This API enables seamless integration of Spreaker’s podcasting functionalities, allowing developers to create customized and interactive podcast-related applications.
• Tuneefy: Find links to tracks / albums across DSPs. Search for a track or paste the corresponding link from your platform, hit ‘Share’ for the tune you’re looking for. (Source code available on GitHub) https://tuneefy.com/ | https://github.com/tchapi/tuneefy2

Acknowledgements

This overview uses data from multiple (overlapping) sources as well as my own records. I found a number of interesting APIs on these sources that were new to me:

• JSON API APP — A public directory of JSON APIs, specifically: https://www.jsonapi.co/public-api/Spotify
• Soundcharts blog post about music APIs (interesting, but outdated listings)