YouTube Music is reportedly testing a paid feature for song lyrics where free users can only view a portion of the lyrics before being asked to upgrade to a Premium account. The move is similar to Spotify's previous approach, which eventually lifted the restriction after receiving heavy criticism from users.
A Reddit user found that lyrics on YouTube Music are now limited and the app prompts them to subscribe to Premium for full access. While the lyrics feature was previously offered for free, it now requires a monthly fee. YouTube Music appears to be following Spotify's lead in converting free users to paid subscribers.
Whether this move will receive the same negative backlash as Spotify has experienced remains to be seen. However, YouTube Premium offers additional value such as ad-free video streaming and family sharing for easier use by some users.