And talking of EMI, which we definitely were, and mergers, which we kinda were, more idle speculation on whether the much talked about EMI / Warners merger will ever take place.
Those in the know say that November is an important cut off for any possible merger talks, because the big investors who bought into Warner Music, either during the Time Warner sell off or the more recent flotation, can start selling their shares on the open market as of then (it being six months since said flotation). If major equity partners start flogging their shares, that means the ownership of the major becomes spread over an ever bigger group of people, making either a merger or takeover a much bigger project for EMI to enter into.
However, insiders say it is unlikely EMI will make any moves towards a Warners merger in the near future - if only because the EU courts are still considering independent music body IMPALA's opposition to the SonyBMG merger. The outcome of that court hearing will give an indication of how hard it will be to get another major label merger through European competition regulators, which will impact on the cost and timescales of any merger, and therefore whether EMI consider it something they should aim for. So, despite things becoming more complicated for any merger ambitions in a couple of months times, the London major is unlikely to rush into anything at this stage.