Spotify is currently experimenting with changes to its Premium service that have raised eyebrows among some users. Specifically, several Spotify free-tier users have reported that they no longer have access to in-app lyrics, with a notification bubble directing them to sign up for Spotify Premium in order to enjoy this feature. This move has prompted questions and concerns from the user base.
Spotify’s co-head of global communications, CJ Stanley, has explained that this change is part of the company’s ongoing testing process. She stated, “At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of tests, some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning.” However, she did not provide any specific details about the future of this feature or whether it will remain behind a paywall.
This test comes at a time when Spotify has undergone layoffs in its podcast division, despite significant investments in this area in recent years. Despite raising its prices and actively pursuing growth in its paid subscriber base, Spotify continues to face financial losses. As a result, the company is exploring various avenues to encourage users to subscribe to their paid services.
Notably, in-app lyrics were one of the most requested features on Spotify, and the company began testing them in 2019 before officially rolling them out in 2021. Initially, this feature was accessible to all users, both free and Premium, across all platforms. The decision to potentially charge for a feature that was once free has understandably sparked some discontent among users, particularly those who see it as potentially discriminatory to people with disabilities.
While Spotify may be searching for ways to boost its subscription revenue, it remains to be seen how users will react to the idea of in-app lyrics becoming a Premium-exclusive feature. This experiment underscores the ongoing challenge of balancing the introduction of new revenue streams with maintaining a positive user experience and managing user expectations.
