Competition regulator acts after stinging criticism by MPs of record labels and platforms such as Spotify
![UK watchdog to study music streaming amid claims of raw deal for artists and fans](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/bf63a3cd250ca8eaf5055cf2ca0f7e910eefd770/0_193_4424_2654/master/4424.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=0d02110de3cabe1f25b8c913521ac707)
The UK’s competition watchdog has launched an in-depth study into the booming
music streaming market, to assess whether the big record labels and services such as Spotify hold “excessive power”, and whether artists and fans are getting a fair deal.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was asked to launch the study after a scathing report by a cross-party committee of MPs last year called for a “complete reset” of a streaming model it believed only benefited big labels and superstar acts.