Spotify backs out: Premium feature available again for free

From now on, song lyrics are once again fully visible for Spotify Free users. For a short time, lyrics were hidden behind a paywall. The company is now trying to sell the withdrawal in the most positive way possible in a statement.

Song lyrics are free again

Just a few weeks ago we reported that the streaming service was only making the previously free feature available for a fee. But after the first tests, the company received very negative feedback from users, who found that they could only view three song lyrics per month for free. Now Spotify is making song lyrics completely free for all users again. The streaming provider told Engadget announced that they had reversed their previous decision and would again make the lyrics of the songs available without restriction to customers who use a free account.

We’re constantly testing and developing Spotify, which means the availability of our features may vary by tier, market and device. In the coming weeks, we’ll be expanding the availability of Lyrics for Spotify Free users so more people around the world can enjoy seeing more Lyrics. Spotify

New features for free customers

Spotify is of course trying to sell the withdrawal as positively as possible. The fact that it is only the return of a previously existing function is therefore not mentioned. The fact that Spotify’s motive is to do something good for its free users is also probably a pretext. It is more likely that the tests with the lyrics behind the paywall did not lead to the hoped-for additional financial income. Nevertheless, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said in the last investor meeting that the streaming service’s functions would soon be expanded for users of the free version.

We are prioritizing improvements in our free product pipeline based on existing performance in specific markets. Additional improvements will be built into our free offering in the coming months. Daniel Ek, CEO Spotify

Improvements so far only at an additional cost

When and if such improvements will actually come and whether, as is the case with the lyrics, these are just features that were previously available for free remains to be seen. At least in the past few months, innovations such as AI-generated playlists were only available to premium users. The upcoming Hi-Fi audio is also only available for a hefty surcharge.