After the EU shot down the 2004 Sony BMG merger, EMI and Warner Music Group put their merger/acquisitiion plans on ice. Things had been quiet...until The Times Online put out an article an hour ago that claims WMG's Edgar Bronfman is going after EMI shareholders in an attempt to combine the two music groups.

"This month, the boss of the New York-based music group visited London to talk to EMI investors. He is understood to have met Fidelity, a 7 per cent shareholder, and Aberdeen Asset Management, as well as holding a group session with some hedge funds that have shares in EMI. Those approached indicated privately that Mr Bronfman remained surprisingly focused on the possibility of a deal with EMI, which many investors had not expected."

Investors told The Times Online that Bronfman is optimistic about the prospects of getting EU approval on a merger.

One thing the article doesn't mention is the likely outcome -- whether it would be a merger or an outright acquisition of EMI by WMG. The popular theory has been that Bronfman would want to acquire rather than be acquired.

Extra reading: Coolfer's posts on EMI/WMG merger chatter.