The conflict between collecting societies within the European Union (E.U.), European Community (E.C.) competition law, and copyright law as it relates to musical works has recently become a controversial area of increasing dominance in legal processes. This paper will examine the monopolistic nature of the conduct of collecting societies within the E.U. and how developments in E.C. competition law are rendering previously lawful conduct unlawful.

Furthermore, this article will analyze the change in the role of collecting societies in light of the developments in online music distribution and digital rights management. First, however, we shall gain a perspective on the relationships between commercial users, collecting societies, and their members.