Spotify has apparently found a new way to push its free users towards a paid subscription: it puts lyrics behind a paywall. Following various reports citing frustrated posts from users on Reddit, the company is quietly confirming the change – but without a direct statement. Instead, the company simply told TechCrunch that Spotify’s features may vary over time, between markets, and between devices. The response states that the lyric change could be more than just a test, but that Spotify is not yet ready to make an official announcement in the affected markets.
However, there were some indications that Spotify was heading in this direction. Last fall, the company was spotted locking lyrics for non-paying users. Free users who attempted to access the feature would see a message saying “Enjoy the lyrics on Spotify Premium.”
However, at the time, a Spotify spokesperson clarified that the changes were “only a test” carried out with a limited number of users in a “pair of markets”. Spotify no longer refers to the edits as a test, although it’s unclear why it wouldn’t document lyric access as a premium feature somewhere on its website – like on the page where users can upgrade their plans or in its help documentation. This could be because the company is still testing the monthly speech limit for free accounts; free users report see messages that explain to them how every time they press “Show Lyrics” it counts toward the new limit.
Spotify hasn’t provided further details on why lyrics are now paid, but it’s clearly an attempt to push more people towards its paid tier. In its most recent quarter, the company reached more than 600 million monthly active users, ahead of estimates, and the number of paid subscribers reached more than 236 million, representing 15% year-over-year growth. . However, quarterly revenue fell short of analysts’ expectations of 3.72 billion euros, coming in at 3.67 billion ($3.94 billion).
It remains to be seen whether blocking speech will push more people to subscribe. Lyrics are readily available and free via the web and in other apps that work with Spotify, like Genius, Apple’s Shazam or Musixmatch, for example.
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