YouTube Music is testing a paywall for its lyrics feature, mirroring a strategy previously employed and then abandoned by Spotify. The platform is now limiting the number of lyrics views available to free users, subsequently prompting them to upgrade to a Premium subscription for unlimited access. This development was initially reported by Reddit user Xinfinte, who noticed a restriction on the number of lyrics views within the YouTube Music app. The app explicitly encourages users to subscribe to Premium to bypass this limit.
According to other Reddit users, YouTube Music sources its lyrics from services like LyricFind and MusixMatch, indicating that the feature incurs costs for the company. By implementing a paywall, YouTube Music appears to be aiming to monetize the lyrics feature and incentivize subscriptions to YouTube Premium.
This move is reminiscent of Spotify’s decision last year to place lyrics behind a Premium subscription, a decision they later reversed due to significant user backlash. While it is unclear whether YouTube Music will face a similar reaction, the context differs slightly. YouTube Music is bundled with YouTube Premium, which also provides ad-free viewing on YouTube and family sharing options. This bundling may make the paywall more acceptable to users compared to Spotify’s standalone lyrics paywall.
Despite the potential user dissatisfaction, YouTube Music has yet to respond to the initial reactions. The extent of the backlash and the platform’s response remain to be seen as the experiment unfolds. The situation highlights the ongoing struggle between music streaming services aiming to increase revenue and users’ expectations of free access to features.
