YouTube Music is taking another step toward locking once-free features behind a subscription. According to a new report from 9to5Google, lyrics on YouTube Music are now widely rolling out behind a Premium paywall, meaning users will need either YouTube Music Premium or a full YouTube Premium subscription to see full song lyrics.
Under the new system, lyrics are no longer freely accessible for unlimited viewing. When the change hits your account, the lyrics tab on the Now Playing screen displays a notice reading “You have X views remaining” alongside a prompt to “Unlock lyrics with Premium.” Users are given five free lyric views before hitting the paywall. Once those are used up, only the first few lines of lyrics remain visible, with the rest blurred and locked from scrolling.
Google has been quietly testing this change for months, but it now appears to be rolling out broadly to users worldwide. For many listeners, this will feel like another feature quietly removed from the free tier of YouTube Music, especially since lyrics have long been a basic expectation across music streaming platforms.
In Canada, YouTube Music Premium currently costs $10.99 per month for individuals, or $109.99 annually. That subscription includes ad-free listening, background playback, offline downloads, AI-powered features like Ask Music, and now unlimited song lyrics. A full YouTube Premium subscription, which extends those perks to the main YouTube app, costs $13.99 per month or $139.99 per year.
This move follows a broader pattern from Google. Back in 2024, YouTube Music removed free background playback in Canada, forcing users to subscribe if they wanted to listen with their screen off. More recently, YouTube also cracked down on third-party workarounds that allowed background play without Premium, signalling a more aggressive push to convert free users into paying subscribers.
The strategy appears to be paying off. Earlier this week, Google revealed it now has over 325 million paid subscriptions across its consumer services, driven largely by YouTube Premium and Google One. In 2025 alone, YouTube generated more than $60 billion USD ($81.4 billion CAD) in revenue from ads and subscriptions.
Still, locking lyrics behind a paywall is likely to frustrate casual listeners, especially as competitors continue to offer full lyrics without requiring an upgrade.
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What about people who are hard of hearing or deaf need lyrics. That seems discriminatory of Google to do that!