Apple on Thursday approved a fast-growing rival’s request to sell access to music on the iPhone, a surprising embrace of competition that could have resulted from increased scrutiny of its clout.
Apple confirmed that Spotify, a digital music subscription company that was founded in Sweden, could soon offer phone owners a program through Apple’s online App Store. Spotify offers a free version with commercials and a premium service without them, and the iPhone version will be of the second variety, people familiar with it said.
