I feel disturbed by what I hear about this "joint venture" between the owners of the biggest advertising agencies (controlling something like 70% of the TV commercials on screen) and Universal Music.

Rumours reach me - and I stress these are only rumours - implying that clients are given Universal copyrights as "suggestions" for the music on the commercials and, unless the clients strongly object, this means Universal music on those ads.

If true, this may well (indeed I'm sure it is) legal but it surely amounts to a monopoly.

This is the official brandamp line...

brandamp has been set up as a joint venture between WPP's GroupM and Universal Music Group to develop music and brand partnerships for clients. This new venture provides marketers with direct, immediate access to Unversal Music's market-leading expertise, resources and catalogues, enabling them to create and deploy advanced music partnerships worldwide. This is a non-exclusive deal and brandamp also works with other record companies and their artists in handling third-party synchronisation deals and music partnerships, identifying opportunities for WPP agencies and clients to tap into the growing consumer appetite for music across a wide variety of media platforms.

Isn't the reality - "sign with Universal or your chances of being used in TV commercials drops alarmingly"?

This deal (and others like it) proofs, that all the talk about the "death of the music industry" is wrong.

One of the consequences of the current crisis will be the establishment of three (maybe only two) instituions/organisations who will controll almost all copyrights (masters & songs).

Their monopoly power will be even greater than the power the major labels ever enjoyed.