Dustee Jenkins Chief Public Affairs Officer, Spotify
Five years ago, I sat in a conference room with key members of our legal team, several antitrust experts and Spotify founder & CEO, Daniel Ek. The topic at hand: Apple denied Spotify's app update and sent a new set of restrictions that would once again further limit our ability to conduct business in its app store. After careful consideration and lots of hand wringing, we decided we'd had enough. So weeks later, we took a step that seemed almost impossible but totally necessary: fight back against one of the biggest, most powerful (and beloved) companies in the world to protect the future of the internet economy.
Of course, we did this because Apple's practices were harming Spotify, but we also did it because we believe companies should be able to compete to the very best of their ability for the hearts and minds of consumers. And we also believe consumers should have access to all the information they need to make better, more affordable choices for them and their families. Sounds pretty reasonable to me. But sadly, these beliefs are in direct conflict with how companies, like Apple, have built their businesses to benefit their bottom lines.
This isn't some empty warning-the world is moving faster than ever. Every day that passes without regulatory intervention, consumers continue paying too much, many developers' dreams die on the vine under a 30% tax they can't afford and Apple's monopolistic roots take an even stronger hold.
Five years later, while we are finally seeing some momentum in Europe, there has not been enough progress worldwide. Apple has continued to enjoy-and profit from-the status quo while everything else in the world has seemingly advanced forward. In the absence of meaningful government action, Apple gets a free pass to do whatever it pleases and consumers are paying the price.
This is incredibly frustrating-especially when I think about how many consumers around the world are being impacted. Apple denies consumers' ability to choose for themselves, forcing them to pay more for apps, limiting their user experience and preventing them from hearing about cheaper options.
It's even more frustrating when you realize the actual reason Apple is doing this: to protect their own bottom line. As their product sales continue to slow, their services business becomes even more critical to their financial performance. So to defend their multi-trillion dollar monopoly, they are pouring even more resources into maintaining their stranglehold over the App Store.
We feel this acutely at Spotify. As a company that always focuses on building a simple, intuitive and seamless experience for users, Apple's artificial constraints are stifling and we know our users deserve better.
Recently, we launched audiobooks on Spotify and we were beyond thrilled to connect authors with millions of fans. But Apple stood in the way and our engineers were forced to create a complicated, multi-step process for audiobooks that users don't want or deserve. It was a subpar experience, that honestly, we were embarrassed to deliver but felt bullied into. (If you want to see what we wanted to deliver vs. what we had to, check it out here.)
But that's not all. Outside of the audiobooks issue, we can't do the following things on Apple:
Tell customers what our prices are to upgrade Premium membership options;
Let our customers request an email or other communication telling them about the ways they can save money;
Provide our customers with different payment options beyond what Apple mandates (e.g. a credit card or PayPal, etc.); or
Deliver new product enhancements or introduce new features to our customers without Apple's explicit approval.
In many cases to get these approvals, we first have to share our proprietary strategies with Apple-our competition-and there are no restrictions on what Apple can do with that information. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer not to be forced to share sensitive business plans with our biggest competitor, giving them insights from which they can copy, learn and gain an unfair advantage. But that's our reality as well as many other developers who also compete with Apple.
Apple also picks and chooses which app developers in the App Store have to pay them a 30% tax. Often, customers end up paying this extra cost. In contrast, Apple's own apps don't have to pay this tax (like Apple Music), and they come pre-installed on the iPhone so consumers see and pay for Apple's apps first.
I am proud that Spotify has helped to give a voice to a growing coalition of app developers big and small who are impacted by this behavior. But when does the talking stop and action finally start?
Knowing that Apple is not just going to change on their own volition, regulators in Europe have taken up the mantle to intervene in Apple's app store dominance. With the passing of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Europeans may start to feel relief soon, assuming Europe delivers effective enforcement.
In the UK, Parliament is working on the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers bill (DMCC), which will similarly target dominant companies like Apple and ideally force them to compete more fairly. I am hopeful that it will have the impact consumers need and deserve.
And in the US, we also see light on the horizon with Congress poised to reintroduce the Open App Markets Act - a bill that would require Apple to stop its practices that prohibit other companies from providing options for consumers to pay in a variety of ways and letting companies like Spotify talk to customers directly. The fire has also been lit in countries like Japan, South Korea, and Brazil, which are realizing that Apple has been dictating the rules for far too long.
Someone re
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
23/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/07/2026
David Dvir, 2D founder (left), Sundeep Reddy (center), and Jean-Marc Bouchut (right), both of Zeiss...
23/07/2026
Screen Australia announces new national documentary accelerator program 23 July 2026
Screen Australia has today announced the Above the Line Documentary Accel...
22/07/2026
Among other tweaks to coverage, the broadcaster added announce positions in the ...
22/07/2026
The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has reported a sharp acceleration in Australia's sportstech sector, with revenue growth rising from 10% in...
22/07/2026
From a retrofitted broadcast bus to packed Match Day Live! events, Bennett detai...
22/07/2026
TMRW Sports has named Brendan Donohue as President, Flag Football, where he will lead the company's professional flag football business in partnership with ...
22/07/2026
Stephen Arnold Music (SAM) designed and produced soundtracks for nine projection...
22/07/2026
Harmonic has announced a $25,000 donation to Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) fo...
22/07/2026
Telemundo has announced it has acquired from UC3 exclusive U.S. Spanish-language...
22/07/2026
The Rest Is Football, hosted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards, ...
22/07/2026
Sports Studio has announced a partnership with TheSoul Group to distribute Free ...
22/07/2026
Daktronics has concluded its 2026 High School Video Summit, a two-day hybrid event combining virtual sessions with hands-on host school visits across the countr...
22/07/2026
FOR-A America will exhibit at the MMCA Show in Pensacola, Florida (July 21-24), marking the company's first appearance at the house of worship AV event. FOR...
22/07/2026
The New York Yankees have selected Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) to connect Ya...
22/07/2026
Calrec will exhibit at IBC 2026 (Stand 8.C47) with demonstrations of its IP-native audio ecosystem built around the Argo console range, and will announce two ne...
22/07/2026
Solid State Logic has announced the appointment of Algam EKO as its distributor for SSL large format consoles in Italy, covering the Live, Broadcast, and Studio...
22/07/2026
FloSports has announced the launch of the FloSports Channel, a free ad-supported streaming channel premiering on Prime Video in the U.S. on July 21. The channel...
22/07/2026
Banana Ball TV (BTV), the broadcast operation of the Savannah Bananas, has insta...
22/07/2026
SiriusXM and Audacy have announced an agreement bringing 42 Audacy sports, news, and talk stations from 29 U.S. markets to SiriusXM. Twenty-three Audacy sports ...
22/07/2026
The collaboration produced more than 500 short-form videos across four cities th...
22/07/2026
At 2,600 sq. ft., the new home of digital content houses a main studio, podcast space, and an auxiliary control room
NFL franchises are accelerating their prod...
22/07/2026
Library now available in Engine Player
Another of Eduardo Tarilonte's popular sample libraries has just been moved over to Engine Audio's Engine Pla...
22/07/2026
All-in-one mic & DSP interface overhauled
Cloudvocal have just refreshed the design of their all-in-one mic, audio interface and DSP processor, introducing ...
22/07/2026
The final boss of the lost dual-op-amp circuit
Electro-Harmonix have just introduced the Deluxe Big Muff Pi 2, which they say offers their latest take on t...
22/07/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Proven managed IP solution helps broadcasters confidently navigate the future of broadcast distribution
LTN announces it has completed successful satellite-to-...
22/07/2026
Today, Chaos announced V-Ray 7, update 4, eliminating the need for asset conversions and tool switching, which slow down media and entertainment pipelines. Arti...
22/07/2026
An AI playground for the Project Indigo camera app
Marc Levoy July 22, 2026
0 Comments
At left is the user interface of our Playground, running on an ...
22/07/2026
Custom Consoles announces the completion of a large technical furniture project for Radio T l vision Suisse (RTS) at the networks recently inaugurated productio...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Culver City, CA, July 21, 2026 3D streaming infrastructure provider Miris today announced glTF intake, including the binary .glb form, to its spatial streamin...
22/07/2026
Documentary Lo Invisible Captured with Blackmagic PYXIS 6K
Brie Clayton July 21, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's versatile design allowed filmmakers to c...
22/07/2026
AAF Bridge converts AAF and XML Timelines to Ableton Live - and back
Jerome Gardier July 21, 2026
0 Comments
A two-way converter for macOS and Windows...
22/07/2026
From Class to Concert: Explore a Student-Led Production of David Bowies Work Thr...
22/07/2026
NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang today visited the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, to commission an NVIDIA DGX GB300 system - bringing one...
22/07/2026
A poisoned spy, a secret war, and a small English city contaminated by a deadly chemical weapon. Available on Sky Documentaries from 4 AugustWednesday 22 July 2...
22/07/2026
Audio at Parity: Comscore Launches Transcript-Level Targeting and Measurement wi...
22/07/2026
Arvato Systems and Lobster Enter into a Partnership and Combine the Integration Platform and Managed Services
Flexible integration solutions for cloud, hybrid...
Dustee Jenkins Chief Public Affairs Officer, Spotify
