Spotify Removes Free Lyrics Feature, Further Limiting Free User Experience

Spotify, one of the most popular music streaming apps on Android, has made another move to push users towards its paid Premium subscription. The company has started restricting free users from accessing song lyrics while listening to music, a feature that was previously available at no cost.

Spotify operates on a freemium model, allowing users to create an account and access a free ad-supported tier with limited features. Premium subscribers pay a monthly fee for added conveniences like ad-free listening, offline downloads, and higher audio quality.

While Spotify’s free tier offers value for music discovery, recent changes have made the free experience more restrictive. Several Reddit users have voiced frustration over the new lyrics limitation, noting that they can no longer sing along unless they know the words or pay for Premium.

The lyrics feature allows users to view synchronized lyrics that scroll in real-time with the music. Without it, free users lose a key convenience and must find lyrics elsewhere or subscribe to regain access.

Spotify has likely implemented a limit system for lyrics access, similar to its six-skip-per-hour limit on free accounts. Accessing lyrics may count against this limit before resetting after a certain period.

The move appears aimed at driving more users to Spotify Premium by further reducing the free tier’s capabilities. Spotify partners with MusixMatch for lyrics data and may be looking to cut costs associated with providing this feature for free.

As Spotify’s free tier becomes more restricted, alternatives like YouTube Music and Tidal gain appeal. YouTube Music offers ad-supported listening with full lyrics access, while Tidal is known for lossless audio quality unavailable on Spotify’s paid tier.

Worryingly for some users, Spotify seems more focused on adding AI features than addressing long-standing requests for lossless streaming quality on Premium.

With the loss of free lyrics access, Spotify risks frustrating its free user base and driving them towards competitors if the free experience becomes too limited. Only time will tell if this strategy pays off or backfires for the streaming giant.