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Spotify is testing the prospect of having in-app lyrics as a premium-only feature. The platform seems to be trying out new ways to get more paid subscribers. Several Spotify users noticed that in-app lyrics, which pop up under the playing song, were locked away under a paywall.

Instead, they saw only a notification bubble saying, “Enjoy lyrics on Spotify Premium,” with a link to sign up. Spotify confirmed to The Verge that the feature is currently in a testing phase.

“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,” C.J. Stanley, Spotify’s co-head of global communications, was quoted as saying.

“We don’t have any further news to share at this time,” Stanley added.

In July, Spotify decided to raise the subscription price for its premium plans in multiple markets. In the US, Spotify’s Premium Individual plan now costs $10.99, up from $9.99, and the Premium Duo plan has increased to $14.99 from $12.99.

The Premium Family plan is now priced at $16.99, up from $15.99, and the Student plan will cost $5.99, up from $4.99.

These new tests also come as the music streaming platform announced that monthly users of its ad-supported tier had surged 34 per cent over the last year to 343 million. While the company’s monthly paying listeners grew 17 per cent to reach 220 million.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – IANS)