The ongoing legal confrontation regarding the popular free music streaming application Musi has escalated, with Apple standing by its choice to remove the app from the App Store prior to an upcoming court hearing that will decide its future …
Musi
Musi is a free music streaming application that sources music from YouTube.
It gained notable popularity among teenagers as it offered entirely free music streaming without the intrusive audio advertisements typical of Spotify’s free version. Users only encounter one set of ads when they first open the app, enabling uninterrupted listening afterwards.
The legal battle
YouTube claims that Musi breaches its terms of service by accessing music without a proper license. Musi contests this claim, arguing that it functions similarly to a web browser.
This dispute is more intricate than it may appear, as even legal experts are unable to reach a consensus on which party holds more legal ground.
Nonetheless, after YouTube filed a complaint with Apple, the tech giant decided to remove Musi from the App Store while awaiting the results of a court case scheduled for January. Musi argued that Apple should wait for a verdict, warning that the app could face extinction before the case is even heard by a judge.
Arstechnica reports that Apple remains unpersuaded by this argument.
“Musi provides no evidence relating to its financial condition and no evidence that it is unable to survive until a decision on the merits in this case.”
Apple asserts that Musi lacks transparency regarding its financial situation; however, public records indicate that the app generated “over $100 million in advertising revenue from January 2023 to spring 2024 and employs at most 10 people.”
Apple maintains that it does not take sides in such matters but must temporarily remove applications to avoid legal liability itself.
Musi users vow not to upgrade iPhone
Users who already have the app on their iPhones can continue to use it, but cannot reinstall it if they purchase a new iPhone. Ars highlights that users on Reddit are expressing their intention not to upgrade their phones as long as this situation persists.
For Musi enthusiasts venting on Reddit, the app seems irreplaceable […] One Musi user mentioned that Musi enables an unlimited number of videos in a playlist, whereas YouTube limits playlists to 5,000 videos.
“Musi is the only playback system I have to play all 9k of my videos/songs in the same library,” the Musi supporter stated. “I genuinely don’t use Musi simply because it’s free; it offers features that no other app does, especially for those who enjoy watching music videos while listening to music.”
Image: Apple/Musi
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
