Amaya Toman Apple released a statement this week responding to Spotify's recent claims. In it, the company accuses Apple of unfair dealings with users and competitors. This is an unusual step on Apple's part, as the Cupertino giant is not in the habit of publicly commenting on such allegations.
In a press statement published on its official website, Apple says it feels obliged to respond to the complaint that Spotify filed with the European Commission on Wednesday. Spotify has not yet released a public version of its complaint, but its director Daniel Ek hinted at something in a blog post.
Apple said in a statement that Spotify has used the App Store for several years to improve its business. According to Apple, Spotify's management wants to enjoy all the benefits of the App Store ecosystem, including revenue from customers of this online application store, but without contributing to Spotify's App Store in any way. Apple went on to say that Spotify "distributes the music people love without contributing to the artists, musicians and songwriters who make it."
Instead, Spotify accuses Apple in its complaint of deliberately building barriers into its iPhones that limit third-party services that potentially compete with Apple Music. A thorn in Spotify's side is also the 30% commission that Apple charges for apps in the App Store. But Apple claims that 84% of developers don't pay the company for users to download or run apps.
Creators of apps that are free to download or use ads are not required to pay Apple a 30% commission. Apple also does not report transactions made outside of the app and does not charge commissions from the creators of apps used to sell physical goods or services in the real world. The Cupertino firm also said in its statement that Spotify's representatives forgot to mention the drop in commission to 15% in the case of subscription-based applications.
Apple says it connects its users to Spotify, provides a platform through which users can download and update its app, and shares important developer tools to support Spotify's functionality. It also mentions that it has developed a secure payment system, allowing users to make in-app payments. According to Apple, Spotify wants to keep the aforementioned benefits and at the same time keep 100% of all its income.
At the end of its statement, Apple says that without the App Store ecosystem, Spotify would not be nearly the business it is today. According to Apple's own words, Spotify has approved nearly two hundred updates, resulting in more than 300 million downloads of the app. The Cupertino firm also reportedly contacted Spotify as part of its efforts to integrate with Siri and AirPlay 2, and approved the Spotify Watch app at standard speed.
The complaint filed by Spotify against Apple with the European Commission is the latest in the "antitrust" series so far. Similar protests were raised by competitor Apple Music already in 2017.
Source: AppleInsider
