Spotify hopes EU will fine Apple for violating DMA
The European Union’s dominant music service, Spotify, is coming for Apple once again, hoping to hit it where it hurts — the wallet.
Spotify and Apple haven’t been on the best of terms in, well, ever, and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. Now, Spotify’s CEO hopes to sway regulators to fine Apple over alleged noncompliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
“It is time for Europe to show that we are going to enforce the law that’s already been passed,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said in an interview with Bloomberg. He went on to add that crackdowns on Apple’s conduct had also become a focus for US regulators.
Ek claims that Apple does not do enough to comply with the DMA. He said Apple uses a “well-established pattern of delaying and stalling.”
Specifically, Apple is under investigation for violating anti-steering rules concerning the App Store, third-party browser support, and the new fee structure put in place for third-party app marketplaces. The probe was launched in March of 2024.
If found guilty of noncompliance, EU regulators could levy fines of up to 10% of Apple’s global annual revenue. Teresa Ribera, the EU’s competition chief, has said the decision will be announced in March.
Apple, for its part, has maintained that its done enough to comply with DMA law. It hasn’t done so quietly, though, as it published a whitepaper detailing the risks of third-party app stores. It then published another whitepaper addressing its concerns regarding the EU’s interoperability laws.
This isn’t the first time that Ek has attempted to goad regulators into fining Apple, either. Back in 2019, Spotify told the EU that Apple was abusing its monopoly by forcing developers to use the App Store’s payment system. It alleged that Apple was violating the EU’s anti-steering measures.
Spotify said Apple had “muzzled Spotify and other music streaming services” by “denying [them] the ability to communicate with [customers] about how to upgrade and the price of subscriptions, promotions, discounts, or numerous other perks.”
As a result, the EU levied a fine of $1.95 billion against Apple in 2024.
Apple Music is either the third or fourth largest streamer in the European Union, with about half the market share of the leader. That leader, Spotify, holds the lead position with about 56% of the European streaming market.
