Entertainment

YouTube Music appears to be closing the curtain on free lyrics

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4 months ago

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YouTube Music is shifting its lyrics feature behind a Premium paywall, limiting free users to five songs. See how this change impacts your listening experience.
YouTube Music appears to be closing the curtain on free lyrics, a feature that has been openly available to all users since 2020 . According to reports from 9to5Google and multiple subscribers, the platform has begun shifting this functionality behind a paywall . In the latest update, accessing the “Lyrics” tab on the Now Playing screen reportedly triggers a countdown warning : “You have [x] views remaining. Unlock lyrics with Premium .” Non-paying listeners are restricted to viewing lyrics for just five songs; once that limit is reached, only the opening lines remain visible while the rest of the text is blurred out .
Google has been experimenting with this restriction since at least September , initially targeting a limited user base. Industry speculation suggests the move may be an effort to recoup licensing costs paid to lyric aggregators like Musixmatch . It is a strategy that mirrors a controversial move by Spotify earlier in 2024; however, the Swedish streaming giant was eventually forced to reinstate free lyrics following a wave of user backlash .
While Google has yet to officially confirm the change , the wider availability suggests it may be moving past the testing phase . For users hoping to regain full access , YouTube Music’s Premium subscription is priced at $10.99 per month in the US . This price point remains competitive with rivals such as Spotify, Apple Music , and Amazon Music , offering ad-free playback , offline downloads , and AI-powered features alongside the now-gated lyrics .
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