Singing along to your favorite tracks on YouTube Music just got more expensive. For years, anyone could pull up song lyrics for free. Now, Google is starting to hide those words behind a paywall.
Multiple users and tech sites recently noticed a new warning message in the app’s “Lyrics” tab. It tells listeners they only have a few free views remaining before they must subscribe to YouTube Music Premium. Currently, it appears free users get to see the full lyrics for only five songs. Once you hit that limit, the app only shows the first few lines of a song and blurs out the rest.
Google hasn’t officially confirmed this change as a permanent rule, but they have been testing the idea with small groups since last September. The move is likely an effort to recoup money. YouTube has to pay companies like Musixmatch to provide those lyrics, and those licensing fees add up quickly. By pushing people to pay for Premium, Google can cover those costs while boosting its subscription numbers.
This isn’t the first time a streaming giant has tried to charge for lyrics. Spotify moved its lyrics to its paid tier in 2024. However, after users complained loudly across social media, Spotify eventually changed its mind and brought the feature back for everyone. It’s unclear if Google will face the same level of pressure or if they will stick to their guns.
For $10.99 a month, a YouTube Music Premium subscription already offers ad-free listening, offline downloads, and some new AI tools. Locking away the lyrics is another way to nudge people toward that monthly fee. While the change seems to be spreading to more accounts, there is still a chance Google is just “testing the waters” to see how many people actually cancel their accounts or give in and pay. If you rely on the app to learn new songs, you might want to start memorizing them now.
