"The app's lyrics feature allows listeners to follow along as the song plays. However, only the first few lines are visible once free users in the test hit the lyric cut-off. After that, the lyrics are blurred. Users who want to keep seeing lyrics are advised to upgrade to a premium account, which costs $14 for both YouTube video and music or $11 for music only."
"Spotify began restricting access to lyrics for free users in 2024. However, the response was so ferociously negative that the company backtracked and restored lyric access to those on ad-supported accounts. YouTube Music doesn't have the same reach as Spotify, which may help soften the social media shame. Many subscribers are also getting the premium service just because they're paying for ad-free YouTube and may never know there's been a change to lyric availability."
"In Google's most recent earnings report, it reported $60 billion in YouTube revenue across both ads and subscriptions (both YouTube Premium and YouTube TV). That's almost $10 billion more than last year. Lyrics in YouTube Music are provided by third parties that Google has to pay, so it's not surprising that Google is looking for ways to cover the cost."
YouTube Music now shows only the first few lines of lyrics to free users in the test, blurring the remainder behind a paywall. Free listeners must upgrade to Premium—$14 for both YouTube video and music or $11 for music-only—to view full lyrics, remove ads, download content, and access higher-quality video streams. Spotify briefly restricted lyrics for free users in 2024 but reversed course after intense backlash; YouTube Music's smaller user base may limit social-media pushback. YouTube revenue rose to about $60 billion, and licensed lyrics come from third parties that Google pays, motivating cost-covering measures and fewer free offerings.
Read at Ars Technica
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