Two months after implementing a limit of three song lyrics per month for free users, Spotify has backtracked on the move, returning the feature to all users globally.

What seemed like a silent update back in May 2024 has been in the works since September 2023 when users started noticing the unavailability of the streaming platform’s in-app lyrics.  “At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of tests, some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning,”  CJ Stanley, Spotify’s co-head of global communications, confirmed the lyrics removal as a test run to The Verge.

Making the test phase a permanent premium-only feature in May sparked an expected barrage of criticism, with many users airing their disappointment and frustration with the premiumisation of a feature that has been free since November 2021.

According to a statement by an undisclosed spokesperson to TechCrunch, the decision to backtrack on the test-turned-permanent restriction stems from their commitment to iterating and testing features. 

“At Spotify, we’re always testing and iterating. This means the availability of our features can vary across tiers, 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,’’ TechCrunch reported.

While this is good news for free users, it remains to be seen whether the unrestricted access to lyrics will be reinstated fully or if there’ll just be a significant upgrade from the chalked-off three lyrics a month. 

For those sceptical of Spotify’s “testing and iterating” explanation, consider this context: it might have been an attempt to drive non-paying users toward subscriptions. However, the reasoning behind such a move seems uncalled for, as Spotify already holds a strong position in the market.

Spotify remains the world’s largest music streaming platform by number of subscribers, with over 574 million monthly active users and 236 million premium subscribers as of June 2024, according to Search Logistics.

Currently available in 178 countries, Spotify rakes in its lion’s share of revenue from Europe (40%), North America (29%), Latin America (20%) and the rest of the world (11%).

Though the above data shows that Africa boasts a small percentage of subscribers, Spotify’s managing director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, offers an interesting revelation.

“On willingness to pay: There are some assumptions about African consumers and their low purchasing power, especially regarding digital service payments. That has not been our (Spotify’s) experience,” Muhutu-Remy told Rest of World.

Moreover, Africa and the Middle East rank second in daily usage time on Spotify. The average African user spends 124 minutes daily streaming, surpassed only by North Americans, who average 140 minutes.