Apple is facing scrutiny from US anti-trust officials ahead of its rumoured music service launch.
The Cupertino-based company has long been tipped to be working on a Beats Music streaming platform, but it’s not going down without incident.
According to Bloomberg, the Federal Trade Commission is looking into whether Apple is abusing its market position.
The company is currently the largest seller of music downloads, courtesy of iTunes. The FTC wants to find out whether this position will allow it to put rival services like Spotify at a disadvantage.
The Apple service was tipped to launch this summer, but the new report claims the FTC inquiry ‘could complicate’ the re-launch of Beats Music.
Apple is also reportedly in the process of approaching artists for exclusive rights to music and partnerships, which would be another thorn in the side of current market leader Spotify.
FTC officials have apparently been discussing Apple’s approach to the launch with multiple record labels, the report claims.
Related: What is PlayStation Music?
This isn’t the first talk we’ve heard of Apple being probed over the prospect of its music service launch.
Last month, reports emerged suggesting European Union regulators were investigating Apple’s deals struck with music labels.
Several Europe-operating music companies had allegedly received questionnaires requesting details on such deals.
The reports detailed how EU probes of this nature are typically the result of a formal complaint filed with the European Commission.
Apple has made no official comment regarding the alleged launch of a music streaming service.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.