Spotify Is Burying Musicians for Their Apple Deals
- Service said to tell labels it may keep tracks off playlists
- Apple Music emerges as largest challenge to streaming leader
Apple-Spotify Battle Leaves Musicians Caught in Crossfire
An escalating battle between Apple Inc. and Spotify Ltd. is leaving some musicians caught in the crossfire.
Spotify has been retaliating against musicians who introduce new material exclusively on rival Apple Music by making their songs harder to find, according to people familiar with the strategy. Artists who have given Apple exclusive access to new music have been told they won’t be able to get their tracks on featured playlists once the songs become available on Spotify, said the people, who declined to be identified discussing the steps. Those artists have also found their songs buried in the search rankings of Spotify, the world’s largest music-streaming service, the people said. Spotify said it doesn’t alter search rankings.