NEWS BRIEF: EU Approves Sony + EMI, Chirpify, Primary Wave Adds UK, Grooveshark, Cash & More

The European Union has approved Sony's $2.2B acquisition of EMI's publishing business, creating the world's largest music publishing group with 2M songs and a 30% market share. In exchange, Sony will sell several EU based assets that would have accounted for just 5% of the combined company's revenue. 

• Watch for Chirpify to launch a Twitter music sales platform next week.
• Primary Wave Music Opens U.K. Office – Clive Black will head EU expansion for the NY/LA based publishing, marketing and talent management company.
• 6 Reasons Grooveshark’s CEO Thinks Recorded Music Should Be Free (Evolver.fm)

MORE:

• Cash Music has released a new iteration of its free D2F toolkit.
• Are New Streaming Royalty Rates A Way To Backdoor DRM Into Copyright Law? (techdirt)
• Warner Music Nordic Names Mark Fry VP, Marketing, Recorded Music
• Rand Levin has been appointed SVP, Business & Legal Affairs for Universal Music Group.
• Viacom Media Networks Announces New Digital Ad Sales Team For Music And Entertainment – Melanie DiMemmo and Sarah Iooss to Head East Coast Digital Ad Sales for Music and Entertainment; Sharon Silverstein to Lead West Coast Digital Ad Sales for Music and Entertainment
• R.I.P.  Levon Helm. As usual, Bob Dylan captured the moment best. "He was my bosom buddy friend to the end, one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation," Dylan wrote on his website "This is just so sad to talk about. I still can remember the first day I met him and the last day I saw him. We go back pretty far and had been through some trials together. I'm going to miss him, as I'm sure a whole lot of others will too.