Over the years, Spotify has been implementing changes to make it a better streaming platform, even if there's not a lot of competition in the music streaming market. Unfortunately, the company has been losing money, so it's trying its best to remain profitable by putting features behind a paywall.
Spotify Premium-Exclusive Lyrics
Even with the free version of the app, users could view the lyrics of the songs available on the platform. It wasn't until the last few days that some of its listeners noticed that they no longer had access to the in-app lyrics.
Instead of written texts, the app shows a notification bubble that says: "Enjoy lyrics on Spotify Premium," meaning that the feature is now behind a paywall. Spotify conveniently added a link to sign up, probably to lure in more paying subscribers.
According to the music streaming company, the change was part of a routine test, explaining that the company conducts a number of them, some of which end up paving the way for a "broader user experience," as reported by Engadget.
The company has no news to share at this time, according to Spotidy's Co-Head of Global Communications CJ Stanley. If this is just a routine test for the company, it's possible that the lyrics will be available for the free version of the app again.
There has already been some pushback about the move, especially from people with disabilities who can't experience or enjoy music without them. For example, people who are impaired in hearing need the in-app lyrics to understand the song.
Users from X, formerly Twitter, are also accusing Spotify of being an ableist. For instance, an X user says that they need the lyrics because of their ADHD, adding that they cannot hear someone when they're not looking at the person.
Given the negative reactions and the impact that it has on certain communities, Spotify might back out of its potential plan to put the lyrics behind a paywall. The company will still have to find a way to encourage more users to get a paid subscription.
Spotify Subscription Fee Increase
Back on July 4th, Spotify announced it they would be increasing the subscription prices of each tier. In the United States, the Individual Plan went up to $10.99, the Duo to $14.99, the Family Plan to $16.99, and the Student Plan to $5.99.
The streaming service says that the price updates make it possible for the company to continue innovating and investing in giving listeners better experiences. Spotify currently has over 200 million subscribers, making it the most popular audio streaming service.
By subscribing to its Premium service, listeners will be able to listen to music or podcasts without ads, download music for offline listening, and have access to quality music streaming. If a user will be affected by the price increase, they will receive an email from Spotify.
Apple Music has also raised its prices ahead of Spotify, with the Individual plan also costing $10.99 per month, as well as the Family plan at $16.99. The $10.99 individual pricing is similar between music streaming services including YouTube Music and Amazon Music.
