Apple got hit with a class-action suit in four European countries, filed by Euroconsumers – one of the biggest consumer advocacy groups in the European Union. According to the files, Apple is at fault for music streaming services like Spotify and YouTube Music getting more expensive.
The lawsuit read that the companies have to pay 30% to be on the App Store, and in order to cut their losses, they pass the cost onto their customers.
Euroconsumers stated that each iOS customer has to pay up to €3 more to help cover the lost revenue. According to the group, Apple earned roughly €259 million in “unfair profits by overcharging consumers through their non-Apple Music services.” The lawsuit wants to “reclaim the overpaid money for more than 500,000 victims in Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Portugal.”
Apple Music does not pay 30% service fee, but it should be pointed out that other companies are not required to increase fees in order to operate there as well. They are simply passing the cost through, but they still claim Apple takes more than it really does.
After Apple changed the payout structure of the App Store, the US company takes only 15% for every new subscription that extends over a first year, instead of a blanket 30%, as Spotify previously claimed.
The full list of platforms that are affected includes Spotify, Deezer, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, Tidal, and Qobuz.