NZ approves merger

YOU GOTTA START SOMEWHERE: One country has already approved the UMG-EMI merger. The New Zealand Commerce Commission has just become the first jurisdiction in the world to give the deal the green light. "The NZCC undertook a very thorough investigative process under chairman Dr. Mark Berry, working with our legal team there and with Universal Music New Zealand managing director Adam Holt,” reads the official statement. “We continue to work with regulators in other jurisdictions, and remain confident of further clearances.” (6/21a)