Daniel Ek has urged UK lawmakers to pass a bill that would regulate competition in the digital marketplace and undermine the dominance of Apple, Google and other big tech companies.
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill (DMCC) being developed in the U.K. would allow competition authorities to impose behavioral requirements on companies and “promote competition” where a company’s policies “adversely affect competition. “Daniel Ek has long been Daniel Ek has long advocated for legislation that would limit Apple’s ability to offer both a platform (iOS) and apps such as Spotify’s rival Apple Music.
In an interview with the FT, Daniel Ek said Apple and Google’s control over how billions of consumers access the Internet is “insane.”
“Not only do they make the rules, they compete directly with downstream providers,” Daniel Ek said. He wants the UK bill to ensure that companies acting as referees in the digital marketplace “cannot also be players”. The DMCC needs to have “real teeth”, he said, adding that the bill applies to all developers. “More and more developers are now finding Apple to be a competitor.”
If passed, the DMCC would give the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority the power to impose billions of pounds in fines on large companies that break established rules. Tech companies will be required to provide more transparency about how their app stores operate, with the regulator able to open up specific marketplaces such as app stores or search engines.
Spotify is known to have been at odds with Apple for years, with the dispute between the two companies heating up as recently as 2022, when Apple rejected an update to its Spotify app that added audiobook support. As previously reported, Spotify filed a regulatory complaint against Apple’s App Store practices with the European Union back in 2019, which is still under investigation, and the company also supports the Open Markets Act in the U.S., which requires Apple to allow sideloading and alternative app stores.
