Apple, the tech giant and the owner of the popular music streaming service Apple Music, has been fined by the European Commission for EUR 1.8 billion for abusing its dominant position in the online music market.
The commission found that Apple had violated the EU’s antitrust rules by imposing unfair and restrictive conditions on its competitors, such as Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Music. The fine is the largest ever imposed by the EU on a single company, and it could have significant implications for the music streaming industry and the consumers.
Apple was accused of engaging in three main practices that harmed the competition and the consumers in the music streaming market:
These practices gave Apple an unfair advantage over its competitors, as it could offer its own music streaming service, Apple Music, at a lower price and with more features than the rival services. Apple also leveraged its control over the App Store, which is the main gateway for accessing online content and services on iOS devices, to favor its own music streaming service and to disadvantage its competitors.
The EU launched its investigation into Apple’s conduct in the music streaming market in June 2020, following a complaint filed by Spotify, the leading music streaming service in the world, in March 2019. The EU collected evidence and testimonies from various stakeholders, including Apple, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music, and other music streaming services, as well as music labels, publishers, artists, and consumers.
The EU concluded that Apple had breached the EU’s antitrust rules, which prohibit the abuse of a dominant market position, and that its practices had distorted the competition and harmed the consumers in the music streaming market. The EU imposed a fine of EUR 1.8 billion on Apple, which represents 10% of its annual revenue from the App Store in the European Economic Area. The EU also ordered Apple to stop its illegal practices and to restore fair competition in the market.
The EU’s fine on Apple could have significant consequences for the music streaming industry and the consumers, as it could reshape the market and create more opportunities and benefits for the rival music streaming services and their customers. Some of the possible outcomes are:
The EU’s fine on Apple is a landmark decision that could reshape the music streaming industry and benefit the consumers. The fine is the result of a long and thorough investigation by the EU, which found that Apple had abused its dominant position in the online music market and harmed the competition and the consumers. The fine could have significant implications for the music streaming industry and the consumers, as it could lower the prices and increase the choices for the consumers, foster more innovation and diversity in the music streaming industry, and promote more fairness and transparency in the online music market.
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