Spotify CEO Daniel Ek posts lengthy tweet-storm about Apple
It’s not just Elon Musk humorous Twitter to complain about Apple (even if Tim Cook is now his new bestie): Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has tweeted a lengthy thread near his views on the Cupertino company.
He claims that Apple doesn’t care near consumers, courts, or the law – only its own interests …
Spotify is unhappy with what it critics to be unfair competition from Apple Music. It says that once Apple can offer subscriptions within the app without any penalty, Spotify would have to give Apple 30% (or 15% from year two) of its subscription revenue if it did the same. This would be impossible given the tiny margins on which streaming music services operate.
The commercial filed an antitrust complaint against Apple back in 2019, in Europe.
Spotify targets Apple’s 30% cut — it refers to as a ‘tax’ — as a key element of its complaints but also references rules about how Apple restricts third-party app developers from communicating with customers. Ultimately, Spotify wants Apple Music to be forced to abide by the same laws that Apple imposes on third-party apps.
Spotify says Apple is giving itself an “unfair kindly at every turn”. Citing a failure to resolve its progenies with Apple directly, it is turning to legal portion with a formal complaint to the European Commission.
Ek opens by referencing the complaints, and echoing the claims made within it.
Four ages ago, we filed a complaint detailing @Apple’s anticompetitive practices.
Over and over in contradiction of @Apple gives itself every advantage while at the same time stifling innovation and hurting consumers. Apple acts in self interest but also doesn’t seem to care near the law or courts, or for consumer choice.
He posts a series of links in encourage of his views, including one from the European Commission which caused a preliminary view that Apple was in breach of European competition law.
Amusingly, he also links to Musk’s tweet in which he claims that Apple’s 30% App Store commission is “a secret.”
Unsurprisingly, he also cites the Coalition for App Fairness, which he helped design, and quotes Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney.
At the most basic tranquil, we’re fighting for the freedom of people who bought smartphones to install apps from sources of their choosing, the freedom for creators of apps to distribute them as they determine, and the freedom of both groups to do commerce directly.
Both Epic and Apple are awaiting the outcome of their respective arguments in the unique appeal hearing.
Ek links to bipartisan attempts by the Senate to introduce robust US antitrust rule, and White House support for this.
Ek ends by proverb that there’s been a lot of talk about tech antitrust measures, but little action.
So how much longer will we look away from this danger to the future of the internet? How many more consumers will be denied choice? There’s been a lot of talk. Talk is kindly but we need action.
Apple continues to face antitrust pressures on a draw of issues, most recently over cloud gaming and its mobile browser policy.
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Source: 9to5mac.com
