This is an academic argument for a purist. The fact is that Apple checkmated them by allowing monetization of podcasts directly. Without being effectively countered, Spotify wouldn't just be 25% of the market, they'd be the YouTube of podcasting.
Yes, this is Spotify's argument to anyone who says it's bad that they liberated "podcasting" from web standards.
> The fact is that Apple checkmated them by allowing monetization of podcasts directly.
That's not how it works — as with Spotify, listeners pay Apple, and then Apple gives podcasters a percentage of the proceeds. https://podcasters.apple.com/support/892-apple-podcasters-pr...