BMG is ready to take on the mantle of the recorded music industry’s fourth major if it can successfully purchase juicy assets related to Universal’s buyout of EMI.

The rights management company is understood to be keen to acquire divested record catalogues such as Virgin Records or Parlophone. A final behind-closed-doors decision from EC regulators on Universal’s £1.2bn bid is expected this week.

BMG believes that a significant acquisition haul would allow its masters model to become a weighty alternative ...