“But people briefed on the inquiries also said investigators had asked in particular about recent allegations that Apple used its dominant market position to persuade music labels to refuse to give the online retailer Amazon.com exclusive access to music about to be released, Stone reports. “All these people spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the delicacy of the matter. Representatives from Apple and Amazon declined to comment. Gina Talamona, a deputy director at the Justice Department, also declined to comment.”
“In March, Billboard magazine reported that Amazon was asking music labels to give it the exclusive right to sell certain forthcoming songs for one day before they went on sale more widely. In exchange, Amazon promised to include those songs in a promotion called the ‘MP3 Daily Deal’ on its Web site, Stone reports. “The magazine reported that representatives of Apple’s iTunes music service were asking the labels not to participate in Amazon’s promotion, adding that Apple punished those that did by withdrawing marketing support for those songs on iTunes.”
“Apple is by far the largest seller of online music in the United States, with 69 percent of the market, according to data from the NPD Group, a marketing consultancy. Amazon’s MP3 store was in second place, with an 8 percent share,” Stone reports. “Apple is also the largest seller of music, with 26.7 percent of the overall market, up from 12 percent in 2007.”
“The inquiry is one of several by the federal government involving Apple. The Federal Trade Commission is moving ahead with a separate investigation of Apple’s rules for developers who create applications for the iPhone operating system, according to a person familiar with that discussion,” Stone reports. “That inquiry, initiated by complaint from Adobe Systems, the maker of the Flash format for Internet video, is said to be in its early stages as well.”
Stone reports, “The music investigation signals the elevated scrutiny of technology companies under the antitrust agencies of the Obama administration.”
Full article here.
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Where’s MDN’s take about abusing that monopoly?
As I’ve been saying for a while, Eric Holder wants Steve Jobs’ head on a stick.
That’s right, go ahead and punish hard work. This is bullspit.
So it’s okay for the labels to withhold certain music from Apple but it’s not okay for Apple to withhold marketing support for certain songs.
Sadly, it seems Apple needs to spend more time cozying to the establishment – that’s what the labels do with all that money they don’t let the actual artists have. Still, good to know we continue to punish success while rewarding and subsidizing failures… *sigh*
So a music wholesaler has four customers, and he offers a sweet deal to one of them, while refusing to extend the same deal to the others.
He is then seriously surprised to find out one of these customers is not supporting marketing his products?
What??!!
You tax $$$ at work. Thanks for protecting us from ourselves!
The Obama Administration is worried about the “MP3 Daily Deal” while tens of millions of barrels of raw crude continue to foul The Gulf and coastal states.
Fscking incompetents.
No wonder the empty suit’s approval rating just hit a new record low:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll
Here is the high-level conspiracy theory: Eric Holder is going after Steve Jobs just to piss off Rahm Emanuel. It is retaliation for Emanuel’s intervention in the KSM trial that Holder wanted in NYC. They’ve been having an all-out feud since then. I’ll guarantee you that Rahm is cussing Holder right now.
Holder’s actions will increase the likelihood of a double-dip recession. And if Obama doesn’t have enough problems, his 2012 re-election may be doomed if BP doesn’t get that oil well plugged this week. Now Holder will add to Obama’s misery.
Apple has abused no monopoly. This really has nothing to do with Apple.
This is government trying very hard to look as if they are on our side. No cow patty unturned for our good ol’ feds. Just watch: this is a step to look into whether there should be a tax on this business. The administration smells money and it’s on a fact finding mission.
What do you expect when you elect a president who brings on several ex-RIAA lawyers to serve in his administration?
But this also a shot off Apple’s bow from Obama and the Dems telling Apple that they really need to think hard about spending a lot more of their cash on Dems in D.C. and, if so, maybe this could all just go away… Think the Dems haven’t noticed Apple’s cash reserves and how little they spend of it in D.C.? That’s probably about to change.
Why silicon valley keeps supporting liberals and then are actually surprised at the results is beyond me.
Obama’s reelection was doomed long before the first drop of oil hit the water.
65% favor repeal of Obamacare:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/healthcare/march_2010/health_care_law
This is so wrong on so many levels. Aaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhhh
@New GOP Voter
I don’t see the connection. What do you suggest antitrust lawyers and clerks do while oil is spilling into the gulf?
There is no story here. You can all calm down.
@zzzzzzzzzzz
I ask myself that question many times but I have not figured it out either.
I can see how this can all be dreamed up in someone’s imagination and even if it happened, its not like they are not eventually going to have access to all the same music anyway.. Exclusivity is over-rated.
what a waste of time and even more of our tax dollars.
You aren’t going to punish those who tortured against US law, illegally wiretap pee citizens without FISA approval and all the rest, but you are going to waste tax dollars on a BS persecution of Apple for being successful?
“Apple used its dominant market position to persuade music labels to refuse to give the online retailer Amazon.com exclusive access to music about to be released,”
I think that is called “competition”.
Wait a minute!
“Apple used its dominant market position to persuade music labels to refuse to give the online retailer Amazon.com exclusive access to music about to be released”
So, they were using their position to keep someone else from having a monopoly? How is that bad?
Balderdash, flimflam and scrimdoodle!
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Clearly, Apple’s reluctance to spend money on lobbying, aka bribes, has come to haunt them. Just look at the lobbying spend by companies like Google and others. They spend many times more than Apple.
@Gabriel
“Sadly, it seems Apple needs to spend more time cozying to the establishment”
And become “the man”? I don’t think so.
This is absurd!! I guess it is not fair that the Zune Marketplace sucks!