The European Commission is expected to rule on Spotify’s complaint against Apple regarding competition in the streaming music market. Reports suggest that the ruling may not be in Apple’s favor as the EC prepares to issue a fine of around €500 million ($539 million USD). Apple has responded by disputing Spotify’s claims and stating that their complaint is about obtaining limitless access to Apple’s tools without paying for the value it provides. Apple shared non-public details about Spotify’s business on Apple’s platforms, including statistics about app downloads and other technical support provided by Apple engineers. The company believes that its system of in-app purchases for music subscriptions saves consumers from the inconvenience of visiting external websites on their iPhone. The EU’s investigation into Apple’s App Store’s potential distortion of competition in the music streaming market is not solely about Spotify, but about the impact on other rivals as well. Spotify has been vocal about its disagreements with Apple on other matters such as the new DMA rules. Apple has introduced a new system that requires developers to pay for its services beyond just App Store payment processing under the new DMA rules. Spotify has responded to Apple’s statement by expressing that its success has happened despite Apple’s best efforts to gain an artificial advantage. It criticized Apple for controlling its access to its own customers and imposing unfair restrictions. The EC declined to comment on news related to Spotify’s complaint or any pending fines, but the FT had reported that a fine is expected to be announced early next month.
