The debate surrounding music streaming isn't just about features, subscription prices, or playlists. It's about the fundamental principle: Is music a product that can be offered for free – or is it art that has real value? Apple Music manager Oliver Schusser has now taken a clear stance on this. In an interview with David Israelite, president of the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA), he sharply criticized the free models of streaming services like Spotify.
Oliver Schusser is responsible for Apple's Music, TV+, and sports content. In the public conversation with Israelite, which took place last week, the focus was on the future of the music industry, fair compensation for artists, and the role of large tech companies in the streaming business. One statement stood out in particular: Schusser described Spotify's free offering as a "terrible mistake" – and explained why Apple Music has consistently dispensed with it.
Apple doesn't want to give away music
The conversation centered on the question of what Schusser would change if he could rebuild the music industry from scratch. His answer was clear: He finds it incomprehensible that music is still offered for free after more than 20 years of streaming. From Apple's perspective, this is a misguided development. Schusser says:
As a company, we view music as art and would never want to give art away for free.
He was referring to the ad-supported free offerings from services like Spotify and Amazon Music. He didn't name any names, but the connection was obvious. Apple is currently the only major streaming service that doesn't offer a free model—and, according to Schusser, it's set to stay that way:
We don't have a free service and we won't offer one. We have no plans to offer one.
The comparison to Apple TV+
To emphasize his point, Schusser drew a comparison to Apple TV+. There, too, there is no free version. Anyone who wants to watch content such as series or films has to take out a subscription. And it seems to be working: At the beginning of the year, the Apple series "Severance" was, according to Schusser, the most successful series in the world. Anyone who wanted to watch it had to pay. Schusser warned that free music offerings could lead to music being treated as a commodity – as something that can be replaced at will. This attitude, he argued, not only harms the appreciation of music, but also the artists who produce it.
Support from the industry
Representatives of music publishers were in the audience, and they responded to Schusser's statements with applause. Many in the industry are critical of the developments of recent years. The bundling of content such as audiobooks in Spotify and Amazon subscriptions is seen as particularly problematic, as it puts further pressure on royalties for musicians and publishers.
Spotify counters with numbers
Spotify, for its part, regularly points to the high payouts it makes to artists. The company emphasizes that it pays out more money to musicians worldwide than any other service. Spotify doesn't see the free offering as a problem, but rather as an entry-level model: It's intended to attract new users to music, who will later become paying subscribers.
Apple and Spotify pursue opposing approaches
Their positions could hardly be more different. Apple sees music as an art form worthy of protection, something people should pay for – and deliberately positions Apple Music as a premium offering with no free option. Spotify, on the other hand, focuses on reach through an open, ad-supported model. For you as a user, the question is: How do you want to experience music? Free with ads – or as a consciously paid, ad-free experience? One thing is clear: the decision about how music is consumed in the future will not only be made by the streaming platforms, but also by your behavior. The best products for you: Our Amazon Storefront offers a wide selection of accessories, including those for HomeKit. (Image: Shutterstock / sergey causelove)
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