The EU believes that Apple is disadvantaging music streaming services and has therefore fined the company 1.8 billion Euros.
It is a somewhat remarkable decision after all. The EU believes that music streamers are disadvantaged by Apple. In the sense that they do not have the opportunity to offer a cheaper subscription outside the app store. Within the Apple ecosystem, subscriptions are a breeze; everything is simply done through users’ Apple account. But for this service, apple does charge a percentage of revenue. And because Apple opposes touting the alternative option – subscribing directly to a music streamer – the EU is now angry. Which in turn has led to a fine of 1.8 billion Euros.
Crocodile tears
As a critical observant, you can start to wonder whether the regulations from Brussels are not going a bit too far however. Because as a consumer, don’t you also have a little bit of responsibility? In other words: if you visit the homepage of let’s say Tidal or Spotify, nothing prevents you from taking out a subscription there. Or still with Apple, because it works simpler, is easier to cancel and so on. Free choice. It is striking that Apple in particular has come under fire from the EU recently. Especially since competitors such as Google, Microsoft, Spotify, etc. are shedding crocodile tears over the alleged injustice done to them. Not forgetting that all of these companies themselves engage in similar practices with their own products. It’s just who wants to invest the most in lobbyists.
Lock in is nothing new, but in Brussels the competition can be thwarted more and more easily. The only one who really profits from this is the EU itself, its cash register is ringing more often than ever before thanks to this kind of ‘pot-calling-the-kettle-back’ business.