Apple’s iTunes Music Store has become one of the dominant source of digital music sales in the US thanks to the rise of the iPod in the ’00s. When Spotify popped up in the US last summer, many wondered what took so long. According to Spotify investor Sean Parker, Apple was part of the problem.
At the D10 conference today, Parker had this to say when asked about Apple’s role in the delay:
“There was some indication that that might have been happening,” Sean Parker told Walt Mossberg on stage at D: All Things Digital. “You hear things, people send you emails.”
Though Spotify CEO Daniel Ek didn’t comment, Parker was more forthcoming on Apple’s role: “There was a sense in which Apple was threatened by what we were doing,” Parker said.
And as Parker went on to elaborate, it’s a bit odd, considering that music sales are such a secondary aspect of Apple’s business. But if true, this little bit adds a juicy twist to the streaming music wars. [AllThingsD]