SportSongs Support & User Guide
Everything users need to get started with SportSongs, set up music providers, manage tiles and rosters, troubleshoot issues, and reach Rocky River Software for help.
Quick links
Getting started
Install the app, choose a sport, and connect Apple Music or Spotify.
Assign songs to tiles
Use Apple Music browsing or paste Spotify track links.
SportSongs Pro
Understand subscriptions, premium features, and ElevenLabs limits.
Troubleshooting
Fix playback issues, slowdowns, and tile problems quickly.
Contact information
Email: [email protected]
Company: Rocky River Software, LLC
Address: 19300 Detroit Rd, Suite 200, Rocky River, OH 44116
When you email support, include your device model, iOS version, music provider, and a short description of the issue.
Overview
SportSongs is a music clip controller designed for youth sports game operations. It lets coaches, parents, and game-day volunteers instantly trigger pre-selected song clips for hype moments, goals, warmups, walk-ups, and between-play entertainment, using either Apple Music or Spotify as your music provider. You can also optionally enable text-to-speech announcer voices using ElevenLabs if you choose to connect your own ElevenLabs account.
- Tap tiles to instantly play high-energy clips for goals, intros, warmups, and walk-ups.
- Customize tile names for your sport, such as Goal, Intro, Warm Up, Walk-Up, and Breaks.
- Use Apple Music or Spotify songs you already know and love.
Music Providers & Requirements
Apple Music
SportSongs uses the Apple Music app on your device. For the best experience, we recommend an active Apple Music subscription, but you can also use songs you own and have downloaded to your device.
Spotify
SportSongs integrates with Spotify using Spotify’s Web API. Playback through SportSongs requires the Spotify app installed and running on your iPhone and an active Spotify Premium subscription.
Each provider keeps its own tile layout and saved playlists, so you can maintain separate setups for Apple Music and Spotify.
Getting Started
Step 1 - Install and Open SportSongs
- Download and install SportSongs on your iPhone from the App Store.
- Open the app and follow the prompts. If asked, allow access to media and music.
Step 2 - Choose Your Sport
- SportSongs loads with a default layout on first launch.
- You can switch between hockey, baseball, and softball anytime from the Options menu.
- Each sport provides its own optimized tile labels and layout, such as dedicated Goal and Penalty tiles for hockey.
Step 3 - Select Your Music Provider
- Go to Options > Music Provider.
- Choose either Apple Music or Spotify.
- When switching providers, SportSongs may prompt you to save your current layout so you do not lose your work.
Step 4 - Confirm Provider Permissions
- Apple Music: Make sure you are signed into Apple Music on your iPhone, and that SportSongs has permission under Settings > Privacy & Security > Media & Apple Music.
- Spotify: Make sure the Spotify app is installed and you are logged into a Spotify Premium account. When you first select Spotify as a provider, you will be prompted to authorize SportSongs to connect to Spotify.
Step 5 - Add Music to Your Tiles
You can assign songs to tiles individually, or use Fast Add to quickly fill a layout from a playlist.
Assigning Songs to Tiles
Apple Music Tiles
- Tap the tile’s edit button to open the editor.
- Search or browse your Apple Music library or the Apple Music catalog if subscribed.
- Select a song to assign it to the tile.
- Optionally, set a custom start time to jump to the best part of the track.
- Tap Save so the tile remembers your selection and start time.
Spotify Tiles
- Tap the tile’s edit button to open the Spotify assignment screen.
- In the Spotify app, copy a track link with Share > Copy Link and paste it into SportSongs.
- SportSongs will automatically resolve the track, store its Spotify URI, and fetch album artwork.
- Spotify playback requires Spotify Premium and the Spotify app installed on the device.
Fast Add Playlists
Fast Add lets you quickly fill tiles from premade or custom playlists instead of assigning each song one by one.
Apple Music Fast Add
- Available when Apple Music is the selected provider.
- Open Options > Fast Add Playlist.
- Choose from SportSongs featured playlists, Recently Added, Most Played, or your own playlists.
- SportSongs auto-fills tiles in a sensible order, with key game-moment tiles first.
- For the best results, we recommend an active Apple Music subscription so featured playlists and catalog tracks are available.
Spotify Fast Add
- Available when Spotify is the selected provider.
- Open Options > Fast Add Playlist.
- Tap Use SportSongs Playlist to auto-fill tiles from the official SportSongs Spotify playlist.
- Or paste any Spotify playlist link to fill tiles from your own team or personal playlist.
- SportSongs will pull track names, URIs, and album artwork for use in the tile grid.
Using SportSongs on Game Day
- Tap a tile once to start its clip. Playback should begin instantly.
- Tap the same tile again to stop playback immediately.
- Tiles can visually indicate they have been played, helping you avoid repeating the same goal song too often.
- Use your iPhone volume controls and any connected speakers, whether Bluetooth, AUX, or PA system, to control loudness.
- For best reliability, keep your iPhone near your sound system and avoid unnecessary multitasking during games.
Saving & Switching Layouts
- You can save tile layouts as playlists for quick recall.
- Each music provider maintains its own layouts, so your Apple Music and Spotify setups stay separate.
- When switching providers, SportSongs will prompt you to save your current layout and restore the last-used layout for the new provider.
- This makes it easy to maintain different setups for different teams, sports, or venues.
Roster Management
SportSongs lets you create and manage player rosters for use with the announcer. Rosters give the announcer real player names and jersey numbers for goals, assists, penalties, and at-bat announcements.
- Open Options > Roster to create a new roster or edit an existing one.
- Add players with their jersey number and name.
- Create multiple rosters, for example one per team or sport.
- Rename or delete rosters at any time using swipe actions or the edit controls.
- The selected roster is used by the announcer when generating goal, assist, penalty, and at-bat announcements.
Rosters are entirely optional, but adding a roster makes announcements feel more personal and game-ready.
SportSongs Pro
SportSongs is free to try with core features available. In the United States, SportSongs Pro is currently offered at $2.99 per month or $24.99 per year through Apple’s auto-renewable subscription system. Pricing may vary by region.
- Remove all ads for a clean, distraction-free experience.
- Faster, smoother overall performance.
- Unlimited custom tiles and playlists.
- Fast Add from your own Apple Music playlists.
- Save multiple game-day setups for different teams, sports, or venues.
- Unlock the announcer feature for custom game-day announcements.
Subscription pricing and terms are shown on the App Store listing and within the app’s subscription screen. You can cancel at any time through your Apple ID settings.
Troubleshooting
Songs start from the beginning instead of the selected time
Double-check the clip start time in the tile editor and confirm that you tapped Save after making changes. For Apple Music, confirm the track is still available in your library or the catalog.
No sound
Confirm your volume, silent switch, and any Bluetooth or AUX connections. Make sure you can play songs normally from the Apple Music or Spotify app directly.
Songs will not play at all
For Apple Music, make sure SportSongs has permission under Settings > Privacy & Security > Media & Apple Music and that your Apple Music subscription is active if you use streaming. For Spotify, confirm you are logged into a Spotify Premium account and that the Spotify app is installed on this device. If playback fails after the device has been idle, reopen Spotify, then return to SportSongs and try again.
App feels stuck or slow
Force-quit SportSongs and reopen it. If needed, restart your iPhone.
Tiles moved or out of order
If tiles have been rearranged unintentionally, use the Reset option in the Options menu to restore the default layout, or load one of your saved playlists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an Apple Music subscription?
No. You can use songs you have purchased and downloaded to your device without a subscription. However, an Apple Music subscription is recommended if you want to use SportSongs featured playlists and streaming-only tracks.
Do I need Spotify Premium?
Yes. Spotify’s SDK requires a Spotify Premium subscription for playback control through third-party apps like SportSongs, and the Spotify app must be installed on your device.
Can I use both Apple Music and Spotify?
Yes. You can switch providers at any time from the Options menu. Each provider maintains its own saved layouts and playlists.
Can multiple people use the same playlist?
Yes. You can share Apple Music or Spotify playlist links with other coaches or parents. Each person will need their own Apple Music or Spotify account and subscription if required to access the playlist.
Announcer Voices
The announcer feature is part of SportSongs Pro. Once unlocked, SportSongs can speak goal calls, assist announcements, penalty calls, and at-bat introductions using either built-in system voices or your own ElevenLabs configuration.
System Voices
- Built into your device and free to use.
- Open Announcer Settings > Announcer Voice to browse and select a voice.
- Filter voices by language or preview a sample before selecting one.
- Enable Hype Mode for a more energetic tone.
- For the most natural sound, download Enhanced voices via iOS Accessibility settings.
ElevenLabs AI Voices
- Requires your own ElevenLabs account and API key.
- Your API key is stored securely on your device using Apple’s Keychain.
- SportSongs never transmits your API key to Rocky River Software servers.
- Repeated phrases may be cached locally on your device for faster playback.
- SportSongs sends requests directly from your device to ElevenLabs when you use the service.
How to set up ElevenLabs
- Visit elevenlabs.io and create a free account.
- Go to Profile and then API Keys.
- Copy your API key.
- In SportSongs, go to Announcer Settings and then ElevenLabs Configuration and paste your key.
- The key is stored securely in your device’s Keychain.
Privacy
- Your ElevenLabs API key is stored only on your device using iOS Keychain.
- SportSongs does not have access to your API key.
- Your announcer scripts are sent directly from your device to ElevenLabs for text-to-speech conversion.
- Rocky River Software cannot see your scripts or API usage.
Need more help?
If you are still having issues or have ideas for new features, we would love to hear from you.
Email: [email protected]
Company: Rocky River Software, LLC
Address: 19300 Detroit Rd, Suite 200, Rocky River, OH 44116