Influence Media Closes $600 Million-Plus Deal for Anthem Song Catalogs
Influence Media Partners and BlackRock-managed funds closed a deal valued at over $600 million for Anthem Entertainment's catalogs. What changes hands.
Influence Media Partners has closed its purchase of nearly all of Anthem Entertainment’s assets in a deal valued at over $600 million, the New York company said in a Business Wire release on Nov. 5. Funds and accounts managed by BlackRock took part in the transaction.
The deal moves more than 24,000 released songs, plus 60,000 additional works that have not yet been commercially used, from Anthem to Influence Media. Songwriters and artists whose work sits in those catalogs now collect publishing and recording income through a new owner.
What Influence Media bought
According to the release, the purchase covers Anthem’s music publishing catalogs, its film and television publishing assets and its collection of master recordings. Publishing rights cover the songs as written compositions, while masters are the recordings themselves. Owning both lets a company license a track for film, TV, ads and streaming and collect the royalties that follow.
The catalogs include songs such as The Weeknd’s “Die For You,” Britney Spears’ “Oops!… I Did It Again,” Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack,” Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” and OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars.” Other titles have been used in film and TV franchises including Spider-Man, Breaking Bad and LEGO Ninjago, the company said.
The release did not break down how the price was split between cash and other payment, and it did not say how much of the money came from BlackRock-managed funds.
Who the two companies are
Anthem Entertainment is a music rights management and publishing company based in Toronto and Nashville. Its catalogs include works recorded by Britney Spears, Timbaland, Post Malone, Rush, The Weeknd and OneRepublic.
Influence Media is a New York music and entertainment investment firm led by founders and co-managing partners Lylette Pizarro McLean and Rene McLean, co-managing partner Lynn Hazan and founding advisor and investor Jon Jashni. It works with funds and accounts managed by BlackRock and has invested in music rights tied to artists including Future, Enrique Iglesias, Blake Shelton and Julia Michaels. In 2024 it started SLANG, its own record label and music publisher.
What this means for artists and investors
The deal was first announced in July 2026, so its completion means the assets have now formally changed owners. For writers and performers in the Anthem catalogs, the people collecting and licensing their royalties are now at Influence Media. The release did not say whether any Anthem staff in Toronto or Nashville will move to the new owner or lose jobs.
The purchase is also one more large bet by investment money on older songs. Catalogs with hits that keep getting streamed and licensed produce steady royalty income, and that has drawn asset managers such as BlackRock into the business through partners like Influence Media. The 60,000 unused works give the buyer material it can try to place in film, TV and advertising.
What to watch
Influence Media did not name further acquisitions in the announcement. Readers following the deal can watch for how the new owner licenses the best-known Anthem songs and whether it releases more detail on the financing behind the over $600 million price.
Sources: Yahoo Finance, AOL
