Merlin goes from major to minor
There was a time when the rights agency group Merlin dubbed itself the “virtual fifth major” in the music world, fancying itself as rubbing shoulders with major record labels Universal, Sony BMG, EMI and Warner.
The description gave the group, which represents a series of independent labels producing music from artists including Adele, Arctic Monkeys and Belle & Sebastian, a sense of importance in the music world.
But The Capitalist has learnt that Merlin seems to have lost its star-splattered wizard’s hat somewhere near the outskirts of Brussels.
The indie group is vigorously opposing Universal’s £1.2bn takeover of EMI’s record label business, arguing that the merger would damage competition in the market-place to the detriment of consumers and independent music producers and rights agencies.
The deal, announced in November, is currently being considered by the European Commission and Merlin has not shied away from voicing its opinion.
And while the “fifth major” claim used to appear proudly in Merlin’s public statements, in recent months there has been no sign of the epithet in press releases or in the group’s lobbying at Brussels.
A spokesperson for Merlin told The Capitalist: “It’s a fallacious argument that we are the fifth major, because we’re not a record label. You wouldn’t compare a newsagent to a department store just because they both stock newspapers.
“We have never called ourselves the fifth major.”
Probably a good idea to take the claim off your website then, Merlin.