Brussels, 14/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 14 January, the European Commission opened an in-depth investigation into the proposed creation of a joint venture between three collective rights management organisations in the online licensing of musical works. The collective rights management organisations contributing to the joint venture are British company PRS for Music Limited, Swedish company Föreningen Svenska Tonsättares Internationella Musikbyra u.p.a. (STIM), and German company Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte (GEMA). The Commission's preliminary investigation indicated that the combination of the music repertoires currently controlled by each of PRSfM, STIM and GEMA could result in higher prices and worsened commercial conditions for digital service providers in the European Economic Area (EEA). This could lead to higher prices and less choice for European consumers of digital music. (EL)