Spotify Asks European Commission for Action Against Apple

Music streaming service Spotify has asked the European Commission to take swift and meaningful steps against Apple. According to Spotify, the American tech group is abusing its market power, which must be stopped as soon as possible.

 

The Swedish music streamer writes that in a letter to European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager of competition.

The letter has also been signed by, among others, French industry partner Deezer, software company Basecamp, mail and VPN company Proton and several European associations of publishers and news media. Spotify states that too little has been happening for years. The company complained almost four years ago to the committee about unfair competition from Apple. And little has changed since then.

“Apple has placed unfair restrictions on our businesses. They hinder our developments and are bad for European consumers,” the signatories state. They point to the app developers’ mandatory use of Apple’s own payment system and the “excessively high” commission they have to pay. They also cannot communicate with customers who take out subscriptions via Apple’s App Store.

Apple takes advantage of its monopoly through its own ecosystem and demands exorbitant payments from app developers who have no choice if they want to reach European customers. “The time has come for urgent action by the European Union against Apple.”