- Spotify is getting a new About Song feature
- Provides context and background for a track.
- Lyrics now have a paywall on YouTube Music
It’s already been a busy week of updates for the Spotify app, and now there’s another one to add to the list, but at the same time it looks like YouTube Music is making one of its free features exclusive to Premium only.
If you’re wondering which music streaming services are best for you, or perhaps you’re thinking about switching (or signing up for more than one), it’s worth keeping an eye on these feature changes as they are added and removed from various platforms.
You may remember that last month YouTube Music was queued-synced across devices, matching Spotify but frustrating users (like me) who liked to keep different playlists simultaneously in different places.
But we start with Spotify: having recently introduced a feature to sync reading between audiobooks and physical books, and some lyric-related updates, it’s now launching a new reporting feature it calls About Song.
Learn the story behind a song on Spotify
The About Song feature is exactly what you might guess, given the name. You get additional background information and context for the tracks you’re listening to, and it’s presented in the familiar story-style format you’ll know on social media.
Spotify describes the feature as “for the curious listener” and it currently has a beta tag attached. “We believe that understanding the art and context behind a song can deepen your connection to the music you love,” Spotify says.
You might see information about what inspired a particular song, for example, or something the artist has said about it. You can also rate each story slide, giving it a thumbs up or thumbs down, feedback that Spotify will presumably monitor.
However, this is only for Premium subscribers; If you don’t have a paid plan, you won’t see it. It’s launching now on Android and iOS, and is initially available in the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia.
YouTube Music is starting to pay for lyrics
While Spotify is adding something new, it looks like YouTube Music is taking something away, at least for non-Premium users, although this isn’t a change we have an official announcement about, like we do with About Song on Spotify.
As reported by 9to5Google, the ability to display lyrics while listening to tracks appears to have been paid for. Previously available to everyone, non-paying users can now only see lyrics for five songs before being blocked.
It’s clearly an effort to get more people to subscribe to YouTube Music Premium, although keep in mind that it also includes YouTube Music Premium if you sign up for YouTube Premium, so that’s another option.
The feature has been in testing for a while, but it looks like it’s rolling out to everyone now. Presumably, those early tests led to enough people signing up for a subscription, but it’s also worth noting that lyrics are a free feature on Spotify.
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