European Union: European Commission opened an investigation into proposed acquisition of Downtown by Universal Music Group (Case M.11956)

On 22 July 2025, the European Commission (EC) opened an investigation into Universal Music Group's (UMG) proposed acquisition of Downtown under the EU Merger Regulation. It was highlighted that UMG is involved in wholesale recorded music distribution in the European Economic Area, and Downtown provides artist and label services through platforms including FUGA and Curve. The Commission has preliminary concerns that the transaction may allow UMG to access commercially sensitive data from rival record labels processed by Downtown, potentially strengthening its dominant position, whilst also removing Downtown as an important competitive force in artist and label services, including distribution, monetisation, marketing and data analytics. It was also specified that the Commission will decide within 90 days on whether to approve, block or conditionally clear the merger.