Spotify backtracks on rare win for Premium customers

Spotify users on the free tier once again have access to lyrics for whatever songs they wish.

Back in May the company rolled out a change that capped live lyrics for three songs per month for Spotify Free users, but Premium subscribers retained access to unlimited songs.

However, the brief period as a rare win for Premium Spotify subscribers is over and Spotify has confirmed it is placing live lyrics back in front of the paywall.

A Spotify spokesperson told Engadget: “At Spotify, we’re always testing and iterating. This means availability of our features can vary across tiers and between markets and devices.

“Over the coming weeks, we’ll be expanding Lyrics availability for Spotify Free users so more people can enjoy viewing more lyrics, globally.”

Spotify is looking to enhance the proposition for freeloaders, despite once again raising the prices of its Premium tier in the United States.

In June, the individual plan went up $1, from $10.99 to $11.99, while the Duo plan designed for couples rose to $16.99 a month from $14.99. The Family Plan, which offers up to six accounts, went up to $19.99 from £16.99 a month. That was a rather obscene $3 a month increase.

Spotify said it was raising prices for the second time in 12 months (which totalled 30% for Family subscribers) to continue investing in the service and adding innovative features.

The company also introduced a new Basic plan for subscribers in the United States that removed the 15 hours a month of access to audiobooks recently added to the suite of Premium membership perks.

To access live lyrics on the Spotify app, just swipe up from the now playing screen.

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