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EU competition round-up: Commission issues statement of objections in UMG/Downtown Phase II; clears mergers; authorises signing EU‑UK Competition Co‑operation Agreement; new State aid appeal.

Published on: 24 November 2025

Published by a LexisNexis Competition expert
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Mergers Commission issues statement of objections in its phase II investigation into UMG/Downtown

The Commission has issued its statement of objections to Universal Music Group N.V. (UMG) and Downtown Music Holdings LLC (Downtown) concerning its continuing probe and investigation into UMG’s planned purchase of Downton. UMG, headquartered in the Netherlands, runs businesses spanning wholesale recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audio‑visual content across multiple markets. Downtown, based in the US, is a rights management and music services company operating internationally. It provides artist and label (A&L) services to third‑party record artists and labels, music publishing services to third‑party authors and songwriters, together with royalty administration and other ancillary services for third‑party artists and labels. On 22 July 2025, the Commission sent the deal to an in‑depth phase II review due to worries that the merger could enable UMG to weaken competition in the wholesale distribution of recorded music within the EEA by obtaining commercially sensitive information from rival record labels, and also in the supply of A&L services across the EEA by eliminating an important competitive constraint and removing a significant competitive force...

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