This free YouTube Music characteristic simply vanished behind a paywall

If you happen to use YouTube Music without spending a dime, sadly, Google has determined to lock certainly one of its finest options behind a paywall.

The characteristic in query is lyrics, which, because the title suggests, lets customers view the total lyrics of the track they’re listening to within the app. It first launched in 2020 and, till not too long ago, was obtainable to all customers at no further price whereas streaming songs on YouTube Music.

Nevertheless, again in September, Google quietly started testing a change that put lyrics behind a paywall. Based on 9to5Google, that restriction has began rolling out far more broadly over the previous few days, affecting many extra customers. Reviews about this on Reddit have additionally began popping up.

Whereas lyrics are actually largely locked behind a paywall on YouTube Music, free customers aren’t utterly shut out. Free customers can now view the lyrics of solely 5 songs monthly, and something past that requires a YouTube Music subscription, which begins at $11 a month. When this restriction impacts your free YouTube Music account, you will see a bar above the lyrics exhibiting what number of free viewings you may have left, together with an choice to “Unlock lyrics with Premium.”

Why is YouTube Music doing this?

Spotify nonetheless provides lyrics without spending a dime…

There are plenty of issues on this world that drive me loopy, and options that had been free for years instantly being locked behind a paywall is on that listing. YouTube Music has now carried out precisely that by placing lyrics which have been free for 5 years behind a subscription paywall.

Google, which owns YouTube Music, hasn’t formally defined why it is making this transformation. That stated, there’s been hypothesis in regards to the reasoning. One doubtless clarification is that YouTube Music depends on providers like LyricFind and MusixMatch to supply and show track lyrics within the app, which presumably include prices. To assist offset these prices, Google could have determined to lock lyrics behind a paywall (by way of Android Authority).

It is also value noting that whereas YouTube Music is now locking lyrics behind a paywall, Spotify, certainly one of its greatest rivals, nonetheless provides lyrics without spending a dime. Spotify truly examined placing lyrics behind a paywall in 2024, however after dealing with important backlash, it backed off and by no means rolled it out absolutely. Apparently, Google missed that memo.

I will admit that YouTube Music nonetheless provides stable worth, particularly because it’s bundled with YouTube Premium. Nonetheless, the truth that track lyrics are not free looks like a foolish resolution. Moderately than convincing extra customers to subscribe, it might find yourself pushing individuals towards one other platform, like Spotify.