Google is expanding a new experiment on YouTube Music that limits access to song lyrics for free users. After a small number of views, listeners are prompted to subscribe to a paid plan, marking another step in the company’s effort to push users toward Premium subscriptions while offsetting rising content costs.
How the lyrics restriction works
For years, YouTube Music allowed all users to view full song lyrics within its mobile app. That access is now changing for some ad-supported accounts. Free users in the test see a warning indicating how many lyric views they have left, with reports suggesting the limit is around five views.
Once the limit is reached, only the opening lines of a song remain visible, while the rest of the lyrics are blurred. Users are then encouraged to upgrade to YouTube Music Premium or the broader YouTube Premium plan to restore full access.
Google’s position on the rollout
Google has described the lyrics limitation as an experiment rather than a finalized product change. According to the company, the number of free lyric views can vary, and the majority of global users are not currently affected.
Notably, Google has not formally announced lyrics as a Premium-only feature, and the restriction does not yet appear in official support documentation. This suggests the company is still testing user response before making a permanent decision.
Pricing and subscription incentives
YouTube Music Premium costs around $11 per month, while the full YouTube Premium bundle is priced at approximately $14. In addition to unlimited lyrics, subscribers receive ad-free listening, offline downloads, and higher-quality streams.
Many users already subscribe for ad-free YouTube video playback, meaning some may not immediately notice the lyrics limitation on the free tier.
Industry context and user reaction
The move mirrors earlier attempts by competitors to restrict lyrics. Spotify introduced a similar limitation in 2024 but reversed course after widespread backlash from free users. YouTube Music’s smaller market share may reduce public pressure, allowing Google more flexibility to proceed.
Lyrics licensing involves third-party providers, adding ongoing costs for Google. Restricting access may be one way to recover those expenses as YouTube’s overall revenue continues to grow.
Conclusion
The lyrics paywall experiment highlights Google’s broader strategy of tightening free features while strengthening subscription revenue. Whether the change becomes permanent will likely depend on user response and retention, but it signals a clear shift toward monetizing features that were once freely available.