SPOTIFY VS. APPLE: IN STREAM THE LOBBYISTS

Both Spotify and Apple have been intensively but quietly lobbying on Capitol Hill, according to a Politico report, with Spotify attempting to persuade lawmakers that Cupertino’s efforts are anticompetitive.

In what the political blog describes as “a high-stakes influence war in Washington,” Spotify is said to be pushing for antitrust investigations by the FTC.

While Apple has spent upwards of $1.2 million in D.C. lobbying in Q1, Spotify has reportedly enlisted four outside lobbying firms to work the halls of Congress, claiming Apple has leveraged its size and unfairly benefited from its app store, through which Spotify’s and other competitors’ subscriptions are sold (with Apple famously reaping 30%).

Spotify recently urged its users to pay for their subscriptions via the web rather than the App Store to save the surcharge.