Spotify CEO accuses Apple and Google of monopolizing: you can't be both a referee and a player
CTOnews.com Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has urged British lawmakers to pass a bill regulating competition in digital markets and reducing the dominance of Apple, Google and other big tech companies.
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill (DMCC) being developed in the UK will allow competition authorities to impose behavioural requirements on companies and "promote competition" when a company's policies "adversely affect competition." Ek has long advocated legislation that would limit Apple's ability to offer both platforms (iOS) and apps like Spotify competitor Apple Music.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Ek said Apple and Google's control over how billions of consumers access the Internet was "crazy."
"Not only do they make rules, they compete directly with downstream suppliers,"Ek said. He wants the UK bill to ensure that companies acting as referees of digital markets "cannot be participants at the same time." DMCC needs to have "real teeth," he said, adding that the bill applies to all developers. "More and more developers now find Apple to be a competitor. "
If approved, the DMCC would give the Competition and Markets Authority the power to fine large companies billions of pounds for breaching established rules. Tech companies will be required to provide more transparency about how their app stores operate, and regulators will be able to open up specific markets such as app stores or search engines.
Spotify has been at odds with Apple for years, and the dispute between the two companies heated up most recently in 2022, when Apple rejected a Spotify app update that added audiobook support. CTOnews.com previously reported that Spotify filed a regulatory complaint with the European Union against Apple's App Store practices as early as 2019 and is still under investigation, and the company also supports the US Open Markets Act, which requires Apple to allow side-loading and alternative app stores.
