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Reuters recently reported that the Federal Trade Commission is exploring whether Apple has violated antitrust laws. According to Politico, this is partially due to expert lobbying by Spotify in Washington D.C. “The entire music economy is evolving, and we want to make sure it’s evolving in a way that’s good for consumers, rights holders, musicians … the entire business,” Jonathan Prince (Spotify’s global head of communications and public policy), told Politico. He suggested that Spotify is in “regular” contact with government, but remained vague about the nature of those discussions and the company's lobbying strategy. Sources suggest that lobbyists have met with members of the House Judiciary Committee—which has an antitrust subcommittee—as well as the corresponding Senate subcommittee.
While the story focused on Spotify’s efforts, there’s no doubt that Apple is engaging in the same practices. Politico noted that Apple “spent a record $1.2 million in D.C. in the first quarter of the year.”