Spotify wants to beat Apple to the music-streaming punch with its own event ahead of the Beats Music re-launch.
The audio streaming company has announced it’s holding an event in New York City on May 20.
It’s not clear what the event is actually for;
Apple is expected to re-launch Beats Music at WWDC, which runs from June 8 to 12.
This could be a last-ditch effort by Spotify to shut down Apple before it’s even started.
Spotify is the current market leader in audio streaming, but rumour-spinners have been suggesting Apple will join the market since as far back as 2012.
Apple’s alleged efforts aren’t going unnoticed however, with several reports claiming that both the USA’s FTC and the European Commission are probing the company over its entry into the streaming sector.
Related: Apple Beats relaunch: The story so far…
The European Commission is investigating whether Apple is abusing its market position to strike unfair deals with music labels.
The FTC, meanwhile, is also investigating whether Apple is abusing its position to put rival services like Spotify at a disadvantage.
Apple is reportedly in the process of approaching artists for exclusive rights to music and partnerships, which would be an assured thorn in the side of Spotify.
It also doesn’t help Spotify that rival platform Tidal is also gunning for dominance of the sector quite aggressively.
Artist-backed Tidal is already offering exclusive content in an effort to kill off Spotify’s free-tier music service.
What do you think Spotify has in store for us at the May 20 event? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
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.
