YouTube Music puts lyrics behind a Premium paywall
Users of YouTube Music may no longer be able to view lyrics unless they’re subscribed to YouTube Premium or Music Premium.
Viewing lyrics on YouTube Music becomes more exclusive
Lyrics on YouTube Music haven’t changed much since the feature first launched, aside from real-time syncing and more shareable lyric graphics. Now, the platform looks to be making unlimited access to lyrics a subscriber-only feature.
A test or wider rollout?
According to 9to5Google, viewing lyrics now requires a YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium subscription. Yet, it remains to be seen whether this is a full-scale rollout or part of a bigger test. YouTube has been testing exclusive lyric access for a few months now, with this rollout looking wider than before. However, a YouTube spokesperson told The Verge that the experiment will not affect the majority of YouTube Music’s global users.
“We are running an experiment with a small percentage of ad-supported users that may impact their ability to access the lyrics feature repeatedly.”
Alex McQuiston, YouTube spokesperson told The Verge
How does it work?
Lyric access hasn’t been completely removed for non-subscribers. Under the new set up, free users can still view lyrics for five songs per month. A new message appears at the top of the middle tab in the Now Playing screen, highlighting how many more lyrics you can access while prompting users to subscribe.
Once the limit is reached, you’ll only be able to see the first few lines of songs, with the rest blurred out and unscrollable.
The reaction so far
Unsurprisingly, the move hasn’t gone unnoticed, with users taking to Reddit to air their complaints. Some users see it as another example of platforms trying to find ways to monetize features that used to previously be free. Meanwhile, others argue that it’s wrong to expect any music content to be free and so it’s fair game for YouTube.
Whether it’s part of a wider test or a global rollout, it’s clear that making lyrics exclusive is dividing opinion among YouTube Music users.