[Updated] Spotify lyrics gets 'monthly limit' for users on free tier

Update 06/05/24 20:20 pm (IST): Spotify has updated its official help documentation related to lyrics. The updated View Lyrics page now says:

• On Spotify free, limited access to lyrics is available. Unlimited access is currently only available on Premium.

The help page also reveals that Spotify free plan users who access the service through Desktop or web player won’t be able to see full lyrics. “You need Premium to view full lyrics,” the page now says.

Update 02/05/24 12:50 pm (IST): While Spotify users on the free tier woke up to a new “monthly limit” for lyrics, there’s also another troublesome issue that popped up recently. Many users, both on the free and premium tier, have taken to Reddit, Spotify’s community, and X to report that they get an error when trying to load lyrics for songs.

Users state that they get an error message saying “Couldn’t load the lyrics for this song” when they attempt to view the lyrics. This happens on multiple platforms, so it can’t be pinned to a bug on any OS in particular. In fact, even some users with modded Spotify clients are affected. While it’s possible that the recent update to limit lyrics for Spotify users on the free tier might have triggered this bug unintentionally, it’s worth noting that this isn’t something new.

The “Couldn’t load the lyrics for this song” error has been making an appearance for years. Furthermore, Spotify doesn’t clarify exactly why you see the error and how to fix it. However, there’s a potential reason for the error, as highlighted by a Spotify community moderator last year:

Please note that the availability of the Lyrics feature and the lyrics themselves can vary over time, as well as between markets, and depending on the agreements we have in place with our rights holders. We add new content to Spotify every day, so if you can’t find something right now, it may appear (or reappear) soon.

So I hope this information helps you understand the potential reason for the error message.

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Original article published on May 1, 2024 follows:

Spotify has been testing a significant change to its service offerings, and it’s one that many free users won’t be happy about. After initially rolling out the change to a limited number of users, Spotify has now expanded the restriction of its lyrics feature to premium subscribers only, affecting a wider base of free users. I’m seeing a huge influx of reports from Spotify users on the free tier claiming that they can no longer access lyrics to songs or have a monthly limit. Complaints have been pouring in for the past 24 – 48 hours on platforms like Reddit, Spotify’s community, and X.

For years, Spotify has allowed all users, including those on the free tier, to access song lyrics while streaming music on the platform. However, in a move that appears to be aimed at driving more users towards its paid subscription model, Spotify has now made lyrics a premium-only feature (kinda!). This test began in early September last year and judging by the number of reports in the past couple of days, it appears the test has either expanded to a wider audience or is finally applicable to all Spotify users on the free tier.

According to reports, users now only get a limited number of times they can view lyrics for songs. Each time they tap the ‘Show lyrics’ button, it’ll be counted towards the monthly limit. Once they hit the monthly cap, they won’t be able to access lyrics.

The change means that free Spotify users will only be able to view a limited number of song lyrics in a month. The decision to restrict lyrics to premium subscribers has been met with criticism from free users, who argue that it’s a step too far in limiting the functionality of the free tier. While Spotify’s free offering has always been ad-supported and subject to certain limitations, the monthly limitation of lyrics feels like a significant hit to the user experience.

While it’s unclear whether Spotify plans to make the lyrics restriction permanent or if it’s simply a temporary test, the move has certainly ruffled feathers among the free user base. It remains to be seen how this decision will impact Spotify’s overall user growth and retention, particularly in the face of increasing competition from other music streaming platforms.

Granted Spotify’s lyrics are powered by Musixmatch, you can try using the service in conjunction with Spotify to get the lyrics for your favorite songs. However, the entire process of doing so is clunky and not a real alternative to having the lyrics baked into Spotify. It’s also unclear what the “monthly limit” actually is.

That said, do let me know if you still have access to lyrics on Spotify without any monthly limit while on the free tier. I’ll keep track of the situation and will post an update if and when there are any further developments.