Spotify criticizes new Apple services bundle on antitrust grounds

(Reuters) - Streaming music firm Spotify Technology SA <SPOT.N> on Tuesday criticized rival Apple Inc <AAPL.O>, saying that a new subscription bundle offer from the iPhone maker abuses its dominant market position by favoring its own Apple Music service.

Spotify said the Apple One bundle announced Tuesday disadvantages streaming music rivals. Spotify and Apple charge $10 a month for their streaming music service, but the Apple One package bundles it with other services such as television or video games that start at $15 per month.

"We call on competition authorities to act urgently to restrict Apple's anti-competitive behavior, which if left unchecked, will cause irreparable harm to the developer community and threaten our collective freedoms to listen, learn, create, and connect," the music streaming company said.

In a statement, Apple said the bundle was aimed at existing users of its services and that "customers can discover and enjoy alternatives to every one of Apple’s services."

(Reporting by Akanksha Rana in Bengaluru and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Aurora Ellis)