YouTube Music Lyrics Now Behind a Paywall: What You Need to Know
YouTube Music is rolling out a significant change for free users: access to song lyrics now requires a YouTube Premium or Music Premium subscription. This move, initially tested over recent months, is now being widely implemented, impacting how millions of users enjoy their music.
How Does the Fresh System Work?
Users will now spot a card on the “Now Playing” screen indicating how many lyric views they have remaining. Currently, free users are granted five free lyric views before being prompted to subscribe. Once those views are exhausted, only the first few lines of a song’s lyrics will be visible, with the rest blurred and inaccessible.
The Cost of Access
A YouTube Music Premium subscription costs $10.99 per month in the US, offering ad-free listening, background playback, offline downloads and access to AI features like Ask Music. For $13.99 per month, YouTube Premium extends these benefits to the entire YouTube app. Google recently reported exceeding 325 million paid subscriptions across its consumer services, highlighting the growing reliance on subscription models.
A Broader Trend in Music Streaming
This isn’t the first time a music streaming service has considered paywalling lyrics. Spotify briefly experimented with a similar approach last year but reversed course following significant user backlash. Google’s decision suggests a willingness to prioritize subscription revenue, potentially to offset costs associated with licensing lyrics from companies like LyricFind and MusixMatch.
The move comes as YouTube’s revenue from ads and subscriptions surpassed $60 billion in 2025, demonstrating the platform’s financial strength and its focus on monetization.
Impact on Indie and Older Music
While lyrics for songs from major record labels are largely affected, some users on Reddit have noted that lyrics for independent, self-published, mixtape, and older music (pre-2010) may remain freely available. This suggests a tiered approach to lyric availability based on licensing agreements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does YouTube Music Premium include?
YouTube Music Premium includes ad-free playback, background listening, offline downloads, and AI features like Ask Music, all for $10.99 per month in the US.
How many free lyric views do I get?
Free YouTube Music users currently receive five free lyric views before being prompted to subscribe.
Is YouTube Premium worth it?
YouTube Premium extends the benefits of Music Premium to the entire YouTube app, removing ads and enabling background playback for all videos, at a cost of $13.99 per month.
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