‘Musi’ Removed from Apple’s App Store Following Music Industry Groups’ Complaints 

• Apple complied with increasing pressure from music industry groups and removed a free music streaming app from its store.
• Musi leverages YouTube’s library to stream only the audio part of the videos, free of charge.
• A few music industry entities alleged the app infringes copyright laws.

A popular free music streaming app Musi was removed from the Apple App Store following mounting pressure from music industry groups and, reportedly, YouTube. The app faced scrutiny for not compensating artists and rightsholders, leading to its designation as a ‘parasitic' app by industry insiders.

Musi, which gained attention after its inception on the Canadian Dragons’ Den in 2016, allows users to stream music by leveraging YouTube's extensive library, minus the video component. It also offers playlist creation and sharing features.

The app’s removal did not occur abruptly. Last summer, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) initiated a series of complaints to Apple, citing Musi's alleged infringement on copyright laws.

Although Musi’s legal representation contended that it merely provided access to publicly available content without storing it, Apple initially refrained from acting, given its stringent copyright policies.

However, intensified efforts from the IFPI and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) in recent months and reported involvement from YouTube appear to have influenced the app's takedown.

While the specifics of YouTube's arguments remain undisclosed, it’s suggested that Musi may have circumvented YouTube's ‘rolling cipher' protections, thereby violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and contravening YouTube’s terms of service.

This marks a notable shift, as YouTube has typically maintained a hands-off approach toward such issues, instead leaving enforcement to record companies.

Despite its removal, those who previously installed Musi can continue its usage. The app’s official website still links to the now-defunct iOS download, and Musi's team has communicated via social media that they are exploring routes for reinstatement.

Musi's removal represents one of the most significant App Store actions, particularly given its over 100 million downloads. The creators, who have developed it into a successful business, face substantial setbacks. There are discussions of a potential lawsuit in Canada, though the outcome remains uncertain.

For now, millions of Musi users await further developments as the music app considers sideloading and other strategies to maintain its user base.

In other recent news, Apple reportedly blocked 25 VPN apps in the Russian App Store as required by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor), as the latter wants to eliminate these services completely.