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See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption Megacities Cities of over 10 million are growing fast. Slideshow Highest-paid actresses The ten highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. Slideshow Universal Music uses star power for merger hearing Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Universal says EU regulators object to EMI deal Tue, Jun 19 2012 U.S. SEC chief offers regulatory guide to JPMorgan Mon, Jun 18 2012 Universal, EMI executives head to Congress Thu, Jun 14 2012 EU objections to Universal/EMI deal in coming days: source Wed, Jun 13 2012 Irish love story "Once" wins eight Tony Awards Mon, Jun 11 2012 Analysis & Opinion Lyor Cohen to rivals: ‘Why can’t we all get along?’ Wal-Mart’s annual meeting and the case of the missing Taylor Swift livestream Related Topics Entertainment » Fashion » Deals » Global Deals Review: 2011 Q3 » Global Deals Review: 2011 Q2 » Global Deals Review » Inflows Outflows » A man enters EMI offices in west London August 18, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Toby Melville By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON | Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:35am EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Universal Music Group is trotting out a roster of big-name allies as it makes its case on Thursday before U.S. lawmakers for its much-criticized deal to buy a chunk of rival EMI. Irving Azoff, the head of Live Nation Entertainment, which faced its own regulatory rough ride in its controversial merger with Ticketmaster in 2010, plans to tell a congressional hearing that increased competition in digital music will make the mega-music merger less concerning. "With services like iTunes, CD Baby, Top Spin, Reverb Nation, Pro Tools, Facebook, Spotify - you name it - artists can do everything themselves very professionally," he said in written testimony prepared for a hearing Thursday afternoon before the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee. Universal, owned by Paris-based Vivendi, is also using its in-house star power to woo lawmakers. In advance of the hearing, singer Mary J. Blige wrote a letter to subcommittee chairman Herb Kohl to urge support for the transaction, saying "they will lead EMI brilliantly and empower EMI artists." Lawmakers do not have any formal bearing on the Federal Trade Commission's review of the deal, but they do have the ability to shape public opinion. Universal, with stars like U2 and Rihanna on its roster, said in November that it would buy EMI's recorded music catalog from Citigroup for $1.9 billion. Sony Corp is buying the other portion, EMI music publishing. Critics have argued the Universal merger would create a music behemoth capable of controlling the future of digital media by withholding content from digital music startups. But regulators must also weigh the counterargument - that the major recording companies are weakened giants worn down by the forces of big retailers and piracy that put downward pressure on the price of CDs and digital downloads. Azoff, who led Ticketmaster since 2008 and is now executive chairman of Live Nation, pushed that argument in his testimony. He also said EMI's extended and very public financial difficulties had made it difficult for the company to sign new acts. Live Nation and Universal have a management partnership, which was announced last September. The venture is aimed at marketing musicians by strengthening their web sites to allow fans to buy tickets and music through links on the sites. Universal Music Group Chairman and Chief Executive Lucian Grainge pledged in his prepared testimony that his company would support EMI as a "distinct business." He reiterated his argument that piracy had curtailed sales, cutting revenues for the recording industry from about $13 billion in 2002 to $6.5 billion last year. He also said that concern that Universal would hamstring digital startups by demanding high fees was misplaced, noting that the company has 123 active U.S. digital music deals. Universal is the biggest music company at 30 percent of the U.S. market, Sony is second at about 29 percent, Warner third at 19 percent and EMI at 10 percent, according to 2011 data from Nielsen SoundScan. OPPONENTS Lawmakers will also hear later on Thursday from opponents of the deal, including Warner Music Group director Edgar Bronfman. Bronfman in his prepared testimony argued that record companies, and the marketing prowess they possess, were still key to musicians' success and that Universal has overstated the poor health of the music business. He acknowledged that the business was smaller than in 2002, but noted that sales of digital singles were growing and music subscription services were also rising. "After more than a decade of declining sales, rampant piracy and the transition to a digital world, the industry has turned a corner," Bronfman said. The American Antitrust Institute, in a letter to the subcommittee, said taking EMI out of the picture would reduce the number of companies in the industry from four to three, making it highly concentrated. This could well slow innovation and leave the market vulnerable to price manipulation, the group said. "If there is a likelihood that Sony and Warner would perceive they are unlikely to take market share from Universal/EMI, the three firms are more likely to consciously act in parallel in making pricing and other strategic decisions, such as which platforms should receive music licenses and on what terms," the group said. Other witnesses expected at the hearing are EMI Group Chief Executive Officer Roger Faxon and deal critics Beggars Group Chairman Martin Mills and Gigi Sohn, president of the public advocacy group Public Knowledge. (Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Tim Dobbyn) Entertainment Fashion Deals Global Deals Review: 2011 Q3 Global Deals Review: 2011 Q2 Global Deals Review Inflows Outflows Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. 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