Spotify Says Apple One Bundle Will Cause 'Irreparable Harm to Developer Community'

[JayZNewYork]

In United States antitrust law, monopolization is illegal. The main categories of prohibited behavior include exclusive dealing, price discrimination, refusing to supply an essential facility, product tying and predatory pricing.

The question is whether or not Spotify can prove Apple's tactics rise to these illegal levels. Comparing non-vertically integrated companies (i.e. T-Mobile, Spotify etc.) who offer promo bundles, to an all on one Apple bundle is well, apples to oranges in my opinion. A better compare would be something like AT&T, Dish, and HBO. Google was also hit with fines for their anti competitive actions in the search space.

 

[Alan Wynn]

It’s not consumer friendly. Apple Music used to cost me $10 a month which was already higher than I wanted to pay. Now Apple wants me to pay $15 a month just for Apple Music because I wouldn’t be using the other services.

Why would you switch to a bundle if you do not want any of the other services? Just stick with Apple Music.

Apple One may make sense for some but for me it’s trash.

Then do not buy it and just stick with Apple Music.

This plus the lack of X-Cloud support.... ANDROID is looking better and better each day.

Great that we have choices. Understand your interest in X-Cloud, but not sure why you would need to switch to get music. Why not just switch to some other music service?

I never everrrrrrr thought about leaving Apple before and here we are.

So you are thinking of leaving because they offered a bundle that is not interesting to you while leaving the previous services as they were? Ok.

 

[DoctorApple]

Oh give me a break! Spotify et al. are only after destroying Apple (or at the very least bringing them into disrepute) so that they can seize a slightly larger slice of the pie that is the steadfast euphemism for market share. And what may follow upon such a fundamental shift? Will these other players show the same commitment to preventing excessive expenditure by excitable children or problem gamers (in the case of Epic)? Of course not. They prophesy an illusion of falling on their swords for consumers but make no mistake, they are merely a lower, more spindly branch on the tree of rampant consumerism from which everyone in the Western world benefits to some degree

This is horrible news. I hate Apple One. I wanted a cheaper monthly charge for Apple Music... not more expensive with other apps I don’t want/need.

Guess Apple wants to lose my $10 a month. Back to iHeartRadio I go.... 😕

Who uses iheartradio? You’re better off with Android.

 

[iliria]

Well as expected 12 pages of hatred towards Spotify. Fanboys too blind to see that Apple has grown too big for its boots and it is turning into what Microsoft used to be. Companies as big as Apple have become are not good news for progress and development (unless it is as defined by them). They use money power to kill competition (or buy it).

 

[Maconplasma]

Why would you switch to a bundle if you do not want any of the other services? Just stick with Apple Music.



Then do not buy it and just stick with Apple Music.



Great that we have choices. Understand your interest in X-Cloud, but not sure why you would need to switch to get music. Why not just switch to some other music service?



So you are thinking of leaving because they offered a bundle that is not interesting to you while leaving the previous services as they were? Ok.

Alan you're wasting your time with that member. Anyone making irrational statements against Apple (such as that guy who is upset that Apple is offering bundles as if Apple suddenly took away a la carte options) are not Apple's customers, but rather Spotify sending their staff here to try and pretend to be upset Apple customers in favor of Spotify. It's laughable.

 

[Maconplasma]

This is horrible news. I hate Apple One. I wanted a cheaper monthly charge for Apple Music... not more expensive with other apps I don’t want/need.

Guess Apple wants to lose my $10 a month. Back to iHeartRadio I go.... 😕

LOL Apple is a 2 trillion dollar company. Your loss of $10 a month would never be noticed. Apple is not a mom & pop company that can't afford to lose one customer.

 

[macfacts]

Apple should just kick Spotify out of the AppStore for being such pathetic whiners

The fact that apple can do that shows how much power apple holds.

 

[MacBebe]

Spotify is hilarious. As a developer I feel like I would save money by subscribing to AppleOne. Where’s the harmful part? 🤔

Spotify is just crying foul. By complaining, I think they are hoping for sympathizers.

 

[Alan Gordon]

Well as expected 12 pages of hatred towards Spotify. Fanboys too blind to see that Apple has grown too big for its boots and it is turning into what Microsoft used to be. Companies as big as Apple have become are not good news for progress and development (unless it is as defined by them). They use money power to kill competition (or buy it).

I don't hate Spotify. I had it, and it's okay. I like Apple Music better though. That's my personal opinion, and I don't have any issue with someone who feels differently.

I never agreed with the government going after Microsoft either, nor do I agree with any action towards Apple, Amazon, or to a lesser extent, Google.

 

[Alan Gordon]

The fact that apple can do that shows how much power apple holds.

And yet they haven't.

 

[Maconplasma]

I’m really struggling to see what the basis is for their argument here?

I think even Spotify is sharing the same struggle. They're just throwing anything they can at the wall to see what sticks. Spotify is preparing to close up business. Every major company is offering bundled services and Spotify wasted all their time on music only so now they've screwed themselves.

 

[naturalstar]

I love how all of these companies are trying to tell Apple how to run Apple. Apple has always been about its ecosystem and with the focus on expanding services, it just makes sense to build upon what is already their own.

Companies don’t have to offer services through Apple’s platforms and they are welcome to start building their own infrastructure and ecosystem to compete. That, or find creative, disruptive ways to get a bigger slice of the competitive pie.

 

[MacBebe]

I have a shared family plan and subscribe individually to Apple Music, Apple Arcade and a 200GB storage plan. Only $3+ savings, but I might get the Apple One. Few bucks savings adds up.

 

[Arbuthnott]

Apple today announced Apple One, a series of new subscription bundles that provide access to various Apple services at a combined monthly price.

In response, Spotify sent out statements (via Peter Kafka) to the press decrying Apple's anti-competitive behavior and calling on "competition authorities" to stop Apple before it is able to cause "irreparable harm" to developers. [...]

Spotify has long been unhappy with Apple Music [...]

Article Link: Spotify Says Apple One Bundle Will Cause 'Irreparable Harm to Developer Community'

Isn't competition a terrible thing for companies needing to pay bonuses to their Execs and bigger returns to their shareholders? One can only sympathise with Spotify not liking this price/service competition at all. Personally I weep for them. However, as a consumer, I have to say that I use more services than simply music, and I really can't see why the cost of those services should be kept even one cent higher simply order to support Spotify's business model and protect their margins. Get smarter; partner up with other service providers; broaden your offering; cut your margins; offer something distinctive. Earn your goddam bonuses! But please stop pretending that you are somehow doing consumers a favour by trying to stop Apple dropping their prices!

... After my initial post, I had the inspiration to look at the ownership of Spotify. Interestingly they are partly owned by TenCent Holdings, a Chinese company, notable also for its stake in EPIC (of Fortnite fame). Are we starting to see a pattern emerging here? There is clearly a proxy battle going on between TenCent and Apple. Is this simply business, or is there a China/USA element in there also? Which will be the next TenCent puppet that finds a need to try to attack Apple?

 

[iliria]

Spotify is preparing to close up business.

I really doubt that is the case.

However, if that ever happened I do hope that they sell their patents and algorithms to Samsung. That way Apple will have a true competitor that would match its offerings head on. Spotify has the best algorithms in the market and even Apple are incapable of matching them. If Samsung buys Spotify I would gladly move my mobile phone custom to them. Love the iPhone but it has got too expensive.

 

[Alan Gordon]

I really doubt that is the case.

However, if that ever happened I do hope that they sell their patents and algorithms to Samsung. That way Apple will have a true competitor that would match its offerings head on. Spotify has the best algorithms in the market and even Apple are incapable of matching them. If Samsung buys Spotify I would gladly move my mobile phone custom to them. Love the iPhone but it has got too expensive.

I doubt it too.


I'll probably never buy another Samsung phone again, and would only (at this time) look at the Google PixL if I said goodbye to Apple, but I have to ask, is Samsung any less expensive than Apple?

 

[Arbuthnott]

Oh give me a break! Spotify et al. are only after destroying Apple (or at the very least bringing them into disrepute) so that they can seize a slightly larger slice of the pie that is the steadfast euphemism for market share. And what may follow upon such a fundamental shift? Will these other players show the same commitment to preventing excessive expenditure by excitable children or problem gamers (in the case of Epic)? Of course not. They prophesy an illusion of falling on their swords for consumers but make no mistake, they are merely a lower, more spindly branch on the tree of rampant consumerism from which everyone in the Western world benefits to some degree

The stakes in the various companies emerging to accuse Apple of unfair business practices all seem to have significant Chinese (TenCent or TenCent subsidiary) ownership. Is there a pattern emerging here?

 

[Arbuthnott]

I really doubt that is the case.

However, if that ever happened I do hope that they sell their patents and algorithms to Samsung. That way Apple will have a true competitor that would match its offerings head on. Spotify has the best algorithms in the market and even Apple are incapable of matching them. If Samsung buys Spotify I would gladly move my mobile phone custom to them. Love the iPhone but it has got too expensive.

Samsung certainly needs to do something. Their phone business is in deep trouble, and that division only shows positive numbers because of the revenue of their chip manufacture. It's getting harder for Samsung to copy their way to success, as they previously did with various other consumer goods such as TVs and white goods (operating on the So Sue Me principle), and most notably the iPhone (with their execs going on record as demanding that their offering should look and feel more like the iPhone). What we really need is a competitor that will offer something radically different - as Apple has done now in several fields that they have disrupted - rather than more of the same but with a different manufacturer's logo.

 

[Glavin]

It is a feint to distract from Spotify's sacking the podcast world.

 

[Madmic23]

I agree with Spotify on their constant crusade to get Apple to allow users to sign up directly through Spotify or some other means to lower the 30% Apple tax for a service that has nothing to do with Apple. Apple does not host the music on Spotify or have anything else to do with the function of the app.

However, in this case, Spotify is wrong. There is no issue with Apple bundling multiple services together. There is also nothing wrong with Spotify developing other services, or partnering with other developers, to offer their own subscription service bundle.

Does this bundle make life more difficult for Spotify? Yes. Now it’s time for them to find a new way to add value so that customers will sign up with them over Apple.

 

[johnnyrb]

"Spotify has long been unhappy with ‌Apple Music‌ as it is installed by default on iPhones"

Same old tired argument...

 

[mojaverat]

There is unrest in the forest

There is trouble with the trees

For the Spotifies want more sunlight

And the Apples ignore their pleas

The trouble with the Spotifies

And they're quite convinced they're right

They say the Apples are just too lofty

And they grab up all the light

But the Apples can't help their feelings

If they like the way they're made

And they wonder why the Spotifies

Can't be happy in their shade?

There is trouble in the forest

And the creatures all have fled

As the Spotifies scream, "oppression"

And the Apples just shake their heads

So the Spotifies formed a union

And demanded equal rights

"The Apples are just too greedy

We will make them give us light"

Now there's no more Apple oppression

For they passed a noble law

And the trees are all kept equal

By hatchet

Axe

And saw

 

[macfacts]

If Spotify wants to compete they need to cut some deals with mobile carriers or other services (e.g.: Netflix) to offer bundles of their own -- not cry for the government to defend their failing business model.

Spotify can't team up with others to create bundles, only apple can. No APIs to do that, Spotify doesn't have direct contact with the user to give discounts

 

[Alan Gordon]

Spotify can't team up with others to create bundles, only apple can. No APIs to do that, Spotify doesn't have direct contact with the user to give discounts

Apple says that it only collects commision on 0.5% of Spotify users, so I doubt the lack of an API is that big of a roadblock to create bundles, which, as others have already pointed out, Spotify has done in the past.

 

[macfacts]

Apple says that it only collects commision on 0.5% of Spotify users, so I doubt the lack of an API is that big of a roadblock to create bundles, which, as others have already pointed out, Spotify has done in the past.

So apple is only a "little" bit anticompetitive?