Spotify gives up on trying to charge for song lyrics

Spotify has stopped trying to make users pay for song lyrics. After expanding a test that put the feature behind a Premium paywall, Spotify is now reversing the change.

A Spotify spokesperson tells Engadget that the company will be “expanding Lyrics availability for Spotify Free users so more people can enjoy viewing more lyrics, globally,” adding that it will be available to all users “over the coming weeks.” Spotify didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.

Spotify didn’t originally charge for its song lyrics feature, which lets you follow along with the words of a song as it plays. But last September, users began noticing that they couldn’t view the lyrics for more than three songs per month without paying for a Premium subscription. Spotify rolled out the test more widely in May, much to the discontent of its users.

It usually never goes over well when a company tries to charge for a feature that was once free. It also doesn’t help that Spotify raised the price of its Premium subscription from $10.99 to $11.99 per month in June.