YouTube Music Is Putting Full Song Lyrics Behind a Paywall

If you’re someone who loves streaming music and following along with the words, you’ve probably used the lyrics feature on YouTube Music. For a long time, anyone with the app, even on the free plan, could tap a song and see the full lyrics as the tune played. That experience is now changing. YouTube Music is placing song lyrics behind a paywall, meaning that many users will need to subscribe to YouTube Music Premium to access those lyrics in full.

This change is rolling out gradually, so not everyone has seen it yet. But as more listeners discover it, it raises the questions: What exactly is happening, how does it work, and why is YouTube taking this step? 

At the heart of this update is a simple shift in how YouTube Music handles lyrics. Until recently, users on the free tier of YouTube Music could view full song lyrics while they streamed tracks. That made the app useful not just for listening, but for singing along, learning new songs and following your favourite artists more closely.

Now, those full lyrics are no longer available to most free users. Instead, YouTube Music has started pushing those lyrics behind a paywall, a restriction that requires people to subscribe to YouTube Music Premium if they want unlimited access.

If you open YouTube Music right now and try to view the lyrics on a song using a free account, you might see the first few lines. After that, the rest of the lyrics are blurred out or hidden, with a message encouraging you to try Premium. Some users are only noticing this change now because it appears to be rolling out just in certain regions and for certain accounts.

The mechanics of the change are fairly straightforward once you see it in action.

If you’re a free user, this is roughly how things work now:

• You can still play songs and use most parts of the app.

• When you tap the lyrics button, you might be able to see a bit of the words.

• After a few lines, the rest of the lyrics may be blurred or locked, and a prompt appears inviting you to sign up for YouTube Music Premium to view the complete lyrics.

In contrast, Premium subscribers continue to see full, synced lyrics for songs with no limits. If lyrics are available for a track, Premium users can scroll through them as the music plays in real time.

So, the difference is clear: free users get a taste of the lyrics feature, while Premium users get the full experience. That shift matters to people who like to learn songs, sing along with accuracy, or simply enjoy following the words as they play.

This brings us to the bigger question: Why is YouTube making the lyrics feature part of the paid tier?

This is part of YouTube’s ongoing strategy to grow its number of paid subscribers. YouTube Music Premium (and the broader YouTube Premium plan) already offers benefits like ad‑free listening, downloads for offline play, background audio and video, and better sound quality. Now, full access to song lyrics is being added to that list.

It’s worth pointing out that this is not unique to YouTube Music. Many music streaming services adjust which features are available to free users and which are reserved for paying subscribers. The idea is to provide enough value on the free version so the app is useful, while giving people reasons to consider subscribing for more premium features.

From a business perspective, YouTube — part of Google, is competing with services like Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. Subscriptions are a major source of revenue for these platforms, so locking certain features behind a subscription is one way of encouraging listeners to make the switch.

Importantly, this shift is being presented as a tiered service change, not a complete removal of the lyrics feature. Free users aren’t locked out entirely, in many cases they can still see a few lines, but full access now requires upgrading.

There hasn’t been an official announcement that this is a global, permanent change yet. Some reports suggest YouTube is testing the paywall in specific regions or for specific accounts before a wider rollout. That could mean that what you see in the app today might look different in a few weeks, but the trend is clear: lyrics are moving into the Premium experience.

RELATED: YouTube Is Blocking Background Playback on Mobile Browsers

So, what should listeners make of all this?

Firstly, if you use YouTube Music on the free plan and love tapping into lyrics anytime, you’ll now find that full access isn’t always available. You may see only partial lyrics and a prompt to upgrade. If having complete lyrics anytime matters to you, upgrading to YouTube Music Premium will restore that feature.

If you don’t want to subscribe, there are a few options to consider. Some people use other streaming apps that still show full lyrics at no extra cost. Others search for lyrics online through separate websites or apps while streaming music in YouTube Music. These workarounds aren’t as smooth as an in‑app experience, but they are familiar solutions for many listeners.

Finally, this development is a reminder that music streaming services continue to evolve. As these platforms expand their offerings, features once free can become part of paid plans. For listeners, that means keeping up with changes and choosing the platform and subscription level that best suits your habits and budget.

In short: YouTube Music has started putting full lyrics behind a paywall, limiting what free users see and encouraging Premium subscriptions. The change is rolling out step by step, and while free users still get partial access, fully synced lyrics now belong mainly to subscribers. As streaming services change how they handle features, listeners will need to adapt; either by subscribing, using alternatives, or finding different ways to follow the words they want to sing along with.