Date: 02-11-2008
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has initiated an antitrust investigation into Total Music, which is a joint venture of Universal and Sony BMG, two of the so-called Big Four record labels. The inquiry was launched as a result of concerns over whether the project might give the majors an edge over competition from other companies and an unfair market advantage in the digital music industry. Sources further reveal that Universal and EMI, the other two members of the Big Four, are likely to be targets of the probe as well. The Total Music service is a project which calls for the major labels to offer music to end users through a subscription program that would be paid for through an estimated $5 monthly access fee charged by device manufacturers.
