If you have an existing song list in a spreadsheet or exported from another platform, BookLive lets you import your entire repertoire in one step using a CSV file. The import wizard checks for duplicates, lets you assign songs to a collection and tag them on the way in, and gives you a full preview before committing — so you can bring in hundreds of songs in minutes without manual entry.
Before You Begin #
- You must be a group leader or manager to import songs.
- Your CSV file must contain at least two columns: artist and title. Column headers must use those exact names (lowercase).
- If you want to assign songs to a collection during import, either have an existing collection ready or plan to create one during the import process. See Adding and Managing Songs in Your Library for more on collections.
Step 1: Open the Import Dialog #
- Log in to BookLive at https://booklive.com/login.
- Select your group from the dashboard.
- In the left sidebar, navigate to Library.
- Look for the Import from CSV button (typically near the top-right of the Songs library page) and click it.
The Import Songs from CSV dialog opens with a three-step wizard: Upload CSV → Configure Import → Review & Import.
Step 2: Upload Your CSV File #
- In Step 1 of the wizard, click the Select CSV file field to open a file picker.
- Choose your
.csvfile and click Open.
Your CSV must follow this format:
artist,title
ABBA,Take a Chance On Me
ABBA,Thank You For the Music
AC/DC,ThunderstruckBoth columns are required. Rows missing either value will be skipped automatically. Once the file is parsed, the Next button becomes active — click it to continue.
Step 3: Configure Your Import #
Step 2 of the wizard has three configuration sections:
Collection #
All imported songs must belong to a collection. Choose an existing collection from the Select Collection dropdown, or click + Create New Collection, enter a name, and click the + icon to create it on the spot. The new collection will be selected automatically.
Duplicate Handling #
BookLive checks each incoming song against your existing library. Use the If a song already exists radio buttons to choose how duplicates are handled:
- Skip duplicates — Any song that already exists in your library is left unchanged and not re-imported. (Default and safest option.)
- Override existing songs — Matching songs are updated with the new collection assignment.
- Create duplicates — All songs are imported regardless of whether they already exist, resulting in duplicate entries.
Configurations and Tags (Optional) #
You can bulk-assign group configurations (ensembles) and tags to every song being imported:
- Under Configurations, click any ensemble chip to toggle it on. All imported songs will be linked to the selected configurations.
- Under Tags, use the autocomplete field to select one or more existing tags. All imported songs will receive those tags.
These bulk assignments are optional. You can always add or adjust configurations and tags on individual songs after the import.
Click Review Import when you’re ready.
Step 4: Review and Confirm #
Step 3 shows a summary of what is about to happen:
- The total number of songs being imported and their destination collection.
- How many potential duplicates were found, and how they’ll be handled based on your choice in Step 3.
The preview table lists every song with its Artist, Title, a Status chip (New in green or Duplicate in amber), and the planned Action (Import, Skip, Override, or Create).
Review the list carefully. If anything looks wrong, click Back to adjust your settings. When you’re satisfied, click Import Songs.
A confirmation message will report how many songs were imported, how many were skipped, and how many were overridden. The dialog closes automatically and your library is updated immediately.
Tips & Notes #
- Column headers in your CSV are case-sensitive — use lowercase
artistandtitleexactly. - There is no built-in song limit, but very large files (thousands of rows) may take a moment to parse and check for duplicates.
- After importing, you can use AI auto-tagging to tag songs in bulk. See Organizing Your Song Library with Tags in BookLive.
- Imported songs follow the same publication rules as manually created songs — they default to published and appear in your repertoire.
