NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn has signed a bipartisan letter to the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission calling for an investigation into the music streaming app Spotify.

The letter, which was co-signed by Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), argues that the streaming platform has converted users with Premium subscriptions "into different — and ultimately higher-priced — bundled subscriptions without their knowledge or consent." As such, Luján and Blackburn have urged FTC chair Andrew Ferguson to investigate the impact of Spotify's actions.

The senators outline a timeline for the bundled subscriptions, stating that in 2023, the platform introduced audiobook content to its Premium Plan for music; last March, Spotify "quitely began offering the same audiobook content provided for free in the Premium Plans as a separate subscription" and converted subscribers to the new bundle "with no notice."

Only after receiving pushback, Blackburn and Luján write, did the platform offer a music-only paid service called a Basic Plan — but it's only available to some existing subscribers, not new ones. As of January, the senators say "only a handful" of the millions of Premium Plan subscribers switched to the Basic Plan.

"As the largest music streaming service in the United States, Spotify has achieved market
dominance in the American music streaming economy and their actions will have lasting
repercussions on the creative community and consumers across the country," the letter reads, in part.

WKRN has reached out to Spotify for comment.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/blackburn-letter-ftc-investigation-spotify/