DIGITAL LIFE

Spotify uses tactic for free users to be forced to have a paid subscription

Spotify appears to have found a new way to get its free users to try a paid subscription: putting a paywall on song lyrics.

Reddit users have already shared several reports of lyrics that could only be accessed through a subscription, but, to date, Spotify has not made an official announcement about the introduction of this new “service”.

In contact with TechCrunch, Spotify said that its features may vary over time, between markets and between devices. A statement that indicates that the change in lyrics may be more than just a test, but that Spotify is not yet prepared to make an official announcement regarding the affected markets.

It is possible to say that some signs have already shown, since last year, Spotify's intention to introduce a subscription specifically to give access to lyrics.

The company has blocked lyrics for non-paying users. Free users trying to access the feature would see a message that said: “Enjoy the lyrics on Spotify Premium.”

At that time, however, a Spotify spokesperson clarified that the changes were just a test, carried out with a limited number of users and in a few markets.

The current discourse has changed, and the company no longer says that access to lyrics via premium subscription is just a test. The curious thing is that access to song lyrics is not yet listed as one of the benefits of having the paid streaming service.

One reason for this may be that the company still wants to test the monthly letter limit for free accounts. Users who use Spotify without paying report seeing messages that say that every time they tap “show lyrics,” it counts toward the new limit.

Meanwhile, in the first quarter of this year the company reached more than 600 million monthly active users, a number above estimates, and paid subscribers reached more than 236 million, representing 15% year-on-year growth.

The move to block song lyrics for those who don't subscribe to their premium plan, which is clearly an attempt to get more people to subscribe, will have to compete with the fact that song lyrics are easily available and free on the web and elsewhere. apps that work with Spotify, like Genius, Shazam or Musixmatch.

mundophone