The Radio Music Licensing Committee (RMLC) commented today (7/22), writing, “The Department of Justice, after lengthy and thorough review, decides that ASCAP and BMI consent decrees should not be altered, as they continue to serve as a vital check against ASCAP’s and BMI’s anticompetitive market power.”
While the DOJ decision isn’t official — yet — THE RMLC noted, “after years of investigation into possible additional modifications to the decrees, the Division concluded that the decrees are not outdated, because the threat posed by ASCAP’s and BMI’s aggregated market power is as real today as it ever was. The Division agreed with licensees that ASCAP and BMI continue to wield sufficient market power requiring the continued application of the consent decrees and oversight of the Department of Justice.”
Source: Broadcasters Support Anticipated Government Conclusions In Antitrust Review Of ASCAP …