Apple’s much-rumored rebrand and relaunch of their Beats Music service hasn’t even debuted, and it is already being subjected to scrutiny from the European Union.
Citing the ever popular “people familiar with the matter,” the Financial Times reports that several labels and digital music companies have been contacted by the European Commission in regard to their dealings with Apple.
The commission is said to be investigating any agreements the labels may have made with Apple in recent months, as the company gets all its ducks in a row for their new streaming service.
The music companies have been sent questionnaires requesting information about the groups dealings with Apple. The Financial Times notes such questionnaires are often triggered by a formal complaint to the commission, which is the legislative arm of the European Union.
Apple has reportedly been working to revamp their Beats Music streaming service, and has also been reported to have been negotiating with record labels in an effort to charge a lower monthly fee for the new service. However, pushback from the labels has forced Apple to abandon the strategy.
Apple is expected to launch its new music streaming service at June’s WWDC, likely as part of an iOS 8.4 update on iOS devices, and an update to iTunes on Macs.
