Earlier this year, it emerged that Spotify had appointed four Washington lobbying firms to cover different aspects of its business (Bulletin, 16-Apr-15). Now it seems at least one of them is earning its fee, according to Politico, which fingers Spotify as one of the prime movers behind US regulators’ interest in Apple’s 30% cut of streaming services’ subscription payments on iOS.
“Spotify’s lobbyists have quietly made the rounds in D.C., whispering to lawmakers for months that Apple’s new music offering threatens to stifle its competitors,” claims Politico. “The apparent goal has been to raise antitrust suspicions about the iPhone giant.” Or, as Spotify’s Jonathan Prince puts it in the article: “The entire music economy is evolving, and we want to make sure it’s evolving in a way that’s good for consumers, rights holders, musicians … the entire business.” This is far from a one-sided battle, of course: Apple reportedly spent $1.2m lobbying in Washington in the first quarter of this year, although its focus is much wider than just digital music.
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