London-based music streaming service Bloom.fm claims it has been blocked from buying ads on Apple’s iAd platform because it is a competitor to the company’s iTunes Radio service. Bloom.fm offers genre and artist-based streaming radio stations.
Bloom.fm’s spokesman says Apple wrote to Bloom telling them their service was a direct competitor to Apple’s own iTunes Radio service. However, that service is not yet available in the U.K., so the firm was a bit surprised by Apple’s actions.
“We were surprised at Apple’s decision to ban us from their iAd network as their iTunes Radio service isn’t even available in the UK,” the spokesman told CNET. “Bloom.fm gives you 22 million tracks for £1 a month — the price of a single download on iTunes — so I can see why they’d want to protect their business.”
Apple is possibly blocking ads for Bloom.fm as it is preparing for the launch of iTunes Radio in the U.K. sometime in the near future.
