YouTube Music experimenting with locking lyrics behind Premium following Spotify's failed attempt

Remember when Spotify thought it was a genius idea to gate lyrics behind their premium subscription? Well, YouTube Music apparently didn’t get the memo about how that went down.

While digging through Reddit, I spotted this absolutely furious post on r/youtube from someone who got hit with YouTube’s latest “experiment.” The screenshot they shared shows the dreaded message we all hoped we’d never see: “You have 3 views remaining. Unlock lyrics with Premium.” Sound familiar? It should, because Spotify tried this exact same stunt a couple of years back.

The user’s reaction was… well, let’s just say they used some colorful language about YouTube being “greedy” and questioning why anyone should pay for something as basic as song lyrics. Honestly, can you blame them? We’re talking about text here, not some premium audio codec or exclusive content.

Most people in the discussions immediately connected this to Spotify’s previous attempt. Even back then, a majority of Spotify users simply used other means to get the lyrics or switched platforms instead. Eventually, the backlash grew so quickly that the company had to scratch the plan to save face.

Now, it seems YouTube also wants to test the waters to see if it can pull off something that Spotify failed at.

Here’s the thing that makes this whole situation even more ridiculous: lyrics aren’t some proprietary YouTube creation. They’re sourced from third-party companies like MusixMatch and LyricFind, which means YouTube is essentially charging users for text they can easily Google in about two seconds. It’s like putting a paywall on the weather forecast.

Nevertheless, this is still a fresh experiment, so it’s possible that the platform will scrap the idea if the feedback is negative (which it already is).

Music streaming competition is fierce right now, and users have more options than ever. Spotify learned this lesson the hard way when it faced significant backlash for their lyrics experiment. Users simply don’t see lyrics as premium content worth paying extra for.

What YouTube seems to be missing is that lyrics aren’t just nice-to-have features anymore. They’re accessibility tools for people with hearing difficulties, language learners trying to understand songs, and anyone who wants to sing along without butchering the words. Putting basic accessibility behind a paywall feels particularly tone-deaf.

Either way, we’ll have to wait and see if YouTube goes full steam ahead with the plan or puts it six feet under after this experimental phase.

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