I stumbled
across a current event from The Music
Void.com, entitled “Parker: Apple tried to keep Spotify out of the
U.S.” Sean Parker is Spotify’s director
and according to the article, he states that Apple saw Spotify as a potential
competitor because of how it could impact the music industry and Apple’s
sales. Parker said, “…Apple was
threatened by what we were doing.”
Spotify ,
according to Wikipedia.com, is a “Swedish music streaming service offering
digitally restricted streaming of selected music from a range of major and
independent record labels, including Sony, EMI, Warner Music Group, and
Universal”. What I did learn about
Spotify, is that it can be compared or contrasted with iTunes. However, Spotify works across so many more
systems than Mac OS X, but also Microsoft Windows, Linux, and other mobile
devices including Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Android, and so many other mobile
devices. It is incomparable to iTunes in
that respect; it is available/accessible across so many other mediums. To me, it seems like it does have a “leg up”
on Apple, and I can see why Apple may have been threatened.
The CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek,
speaks of the tension between Apple and Spotify is a bit embellished. As we know, anytime the media can exaggerate
stories, they take advantage of the opportunities. It not only adds drama, which captures
attention from a great deal of people, but also makes us aware of a new
business entering the market. Spotify,
was doing just that. Spotify wanted to
become the brand, the company, and the product/service that was going to
compete against the best in the industry.
Apple is at the top and the one to beat.
To
conclude, this article did enlighten me to something predictable, but also
something I was completely unaware of.
Spotify is very popular overseas and for a few years was trying to
expand into America. I have learned of a
“tension” that I never knew existed, however, according to Ek, it is a little
dramatized. I’m glad that I ran across
this article. It was a pleasure read!
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