Sony, BMG hear wedding music.

The European Commission (EC) on Monday approved the merger of music company Sony Music Corp. with Bertelsmann Music Group Inc. (BMG) to create Sony BMG— an industry juggernaut with combined sales of more than $8 billion and about 25% of the world's music market. The merger brings together such BMG acts as musicians Britney Spears, Usher, Dido and Avril Lavigne with Sony stars including Beyonce, Shakira and Celine Dion. The EC approved the deal without imposing any conditions, ruling that the merger would not harm the international music market and that Sony BMG's combined marketing muscle did not represent an unfair monopoly.