Spotify Removes a Key Feature From Its Free Music Listening Tier The change is unofficial, so far, but social media users on Reddit and X have noticed a cap on using the lyrics feature.
By Sherin Shibu
Key Takeaways
- Reddit and X users were frustrated to find that Spotify moved its unlimited lyrics feature behind the premium subscription paywall.
- Spotify has not made an official announcement, but the company also did this last fall as a test.
- The move could increase the number of paying users on Spotify.
Unlimited access to lyrics on Spotify may now be limited to the music streaming giant's $10.99 per month Premium users.
Though Spotify has yet to officially announce the change, free Spotify users on Reddit and X noted this week that there appeared to be a new restriction when they tried to see song lyrics on the platform.
A notification on the lyrics page informed the free users that Spotify would keep track of each time they pressed the "Show lyrics" button for a song and block them from seeing lyrics past a certain point.
The notification sighting indicates that free users now have a limit on how many lyrics they can access each month, though the exact cap and the markets affected have not yet been disclosed.
Spotify is now adding monthly limit on lyrics for free accounts pic.twitter.com/mrVufudltK
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) May 1, 2024
When TechCrunch asked about the change, Spotify stated that it changes its features over time in different markets across devices.
The company tested putting lyrics behind a paywall in September, but clearly labeled the move a test that only applied to a limited number of users at the time.
spotify premium to see the lyrics?
byu/MeowKat090709 intruespotify
Some Reddit users were frustrated by the change, with one writing: "They're taking away features, [accessibility features, mind you!] that we've already had access to, and making us pay more for them."
Another Reddit user presented a different perspective: "If you're using a service that costs money for the company why is it unreasonable for you to pay to use it?"
Lyrics are available for free across the web, but Spotify's one-stop-shop advantage allows users to access lyrics alongside songs within its platform.
Accessing lyrics through Spotify saves free users a web search — and might be enough to convert them to a Premium subscription.
Spotify's premium members drive most of the company's revenue. The company's most recent February earnings show that the service has over half a billion users, 236 million of whom pay to use it.
Though Spotify increased the number of paid users by 15% last year, despite raising prices from $9.99 to $10.99 per month, its $3.94 billion earnings in the quarter were below analyst expectations, per Reuters.
"We have plenty of levers to pull, including price increases, so you will see us work with all of these levers at various times and in various markets," CEO Daniel Ek said in a February interview with the publication. "We are now a lot more focused on the bottom line as well."
Related: Spotify CEO Slams Apple, Says Company is 'Doing Serious Harm' and 'Choking Competition'
Spotify may raise prices in the U.S. by the end of the year.
