Spotify decided to shake it off, announcing on Wednesday that the lyrics of Taylor Swift and other singers will still be available for free. The music-streaming giant will halt an effort to push free account holders to pay for a subscription plan in order to read lyrics while songs are playing.
Spotify said lyrics should become available to free account holders over the coming weeks.
"At Spotify, we're always testing and iterating," a company spokesperson said in a statement.
Spotify's reversal comes as entertainment streaming giants are raising prices and squeezing customers. Unlike other streaming services, Spotify offers a free account option, which is subsidized by advertising and occasional nudges to start paying the $12 starting price per month for a standard account.
In May, Spotify began charging some users to view lyrics while a song was playing, encouraging them to "enjoy lyrics on Spotify Premium." Then in June, Spotify announced plans to increase the cost of its premium subscription for the second time in a year. Spotify Premium rose from $11 to $12 per month, while other offerings also saw price bumps.
Customers generally respond poorly to raised prices, though they've become common in the past couple years. At the same time, some service providers like Netflix and Disney have begun clamping down on password sharing, in an effort to force friends and distant relatives of account holders to pay extra (and it worked).
Spotify doesn't struggle as much with password sharing, but is still seeking new ways to collect more money from existing subscribers. Last week, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said the Sweden-based company is exploring another premium tier of his company's service, which could offer "a lot more control" and "higher quality across the board."
Whether that will work is unclear. Spotify currently has about 246 million paying subscribers, up from 220 million the same time last year.