Spotify, a known critic of Apple, reacted strongly to Apple’s compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in a recent earnings call with investors. CEO Daniel Ek expressed a more optimistic view of the new law, noting that there are potential future benefits for Spotify, despite initial concerns raised by the company and other critics including Epic Games, Mozilla, and Microsoft.
While Apple is technically complying with the law by opening up its app ecosystem and payment processes, it has introduced complicated terms that have been criticized by Ek and others. Despite calling Apple’s solution a “masterclass in distortion” and expressing concerns about the financial impact on Spotify, Ek assured investors that there are no immediate downsides for the company.
Ek also emphasized the potential positive effects of the new rules, such as the ability to introduce superfan clubs and alternative app stores, which could significantly benefit creators and the platform itself.
Spotify, which has struggled to turn a profit, sees the opportunity to retain more in-app revenues and explore innovative features that were previously restricted in the iOS ecosystem. Ek expressed hope that the European Commission would further intervene to create a more favorable environment for both consumers and creators in the ecosystem.
Apple responded to Ek’s comments by emphasizing that Spotify can choose to remain on the same terms and reiterated that the changes offer developers more options for distributing iOS apps and processing payments.
