Influence Media Partners (“Influence Media” or “Influence”), in collaboration with funds and accounts managed by affiliates of BlackRock, has signed an agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Anthem Entertainment (“Anthem”), being its music publishing catalogs, film & TV publishing assets and its portfolio of master recordings, for a purchase price of over US $600 million.
Anthem’s catalogs are comprised of over 24,000 released songs and 60,000+ additional unexploited works. The catalog features era-defining hits such as Britney Spears‘ “Oops!… I Did It Again”; Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack”; Timbaland’s “The Way I Are”; Cody Johnson’s “Til You Can’t”; Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”; OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars”; and others from notable American country songwriters Jordan Davis, Shane Profitt, and Chris Janson. The film & TV catalog contains soundtracks from iconic movies and television shows such as the Spider-Man franchise, the Men in Black franchise, and LEGO Ninjago. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in Q4 2026.
“This acquisition marks a major milestone for Influence Media and reflects the momentum we’ve built as a platform. Anthem’s catalog extends far beyond hit songs – it’s music that has become woven into iconic moments, films, and shows that audiences around the world know and love,” said Lylette Pizarro McLean, Influence Media Founder & Co-Managing Partner. “We’re proud to welcome these works into the Influence portfolio as we continue our next chapter of growth with the support of BlackRock, and look forward to collaborating with our industry-leading partners to create new opportunities and drive exposure for the works and the artists behind them.”
Influence Media Partners is a New York-based music and entertainment platform and investment manager led by Founder and Co-Managing Partner Lylette Pizarro McLean. They specialize in the acquisition, management and value creation of premier music and entertainment intellectual property. Influence Media has built a portfolio of iconic and contemporary works from artists including DJ Khaled, Future, and Enrique Iglesias.
Paul Braude, CIO of Direct Private Opportunities Group at BlackRock, said: “Anthem’s catalog exemplifies the high-quality, scaled intellectual property assets we seek within Direct Private Opportunities at BlackRock. Influence Media has built a differentiated platform with deep industry expertise and strong talent relationships, and we are pleased to broaden our partnership through this transaction. We believe renowned entertainment assets with enduring cultural relevance can deliver long-term value for our investors.”
Jason Klein, CEO of Anthem Entertainment Inc., said: “Over two decades, Anthem has built a rich and diverse catalog of songs, recordings, and film and television music. It has been a privilege to serve as custodian of this extraordinary music over the past three years, and I am proud of the dedication and integrity my team has brought to realizing its value. As we complete this sale, I am pleased to see our catalog and talented songwriters enter their next era supported by a creator-led independent with the vision and resources to unlock new opportunities and elevate them further.”
Truist led the debt financing raise to support the transaction and served as financial advisor to Influence. Influence was advised by Alter, Kendrick & Baron; McDermott Will & Schulte; and McCarthy Tétrault. BlackRock was advised by Clifford Chance and Stikeman Elliott. Goldman Sachs served as exclusive financial advisor to Anthem, and Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt served as Anthem’s legal counsel.
About Influence Media Partners
Influence Media Partners (“Influence Media” or “Influence”) is a music and entertainment platform whose mission is to transform the music space by partnering with artists, songwriters, and creative executives to steward legacy works and build future brand value. Headquartered in New York and led by Founder and Co-Managing Partner Lylette Pizarro McLean; Founder & Co-Managing Partner Rene McLean; Co-Managing Partner Lynn Hazan; and Founding Advisor & Investor, Jon Jashni. Influence is supported by strategic partnerships with funds and accounts managed by BlackRock. Influence has made substantial investments across music rights including Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), go-forward publishing, and go-forward recorded music rights. Influence’s robust portfolio features GRAMMY® winning and GRAMMY® nominated artists spanning diverse music genres, including platinum recording artist Future, Diamond-certified recording artist and songwriter Enrique Iglesias, country superstar Blake Shelton, songwriter-producer Tyler Johnson, Puerto Rican songwriter-producer Tainy, singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez, singer-songwriter Julia Michaels, and more. Influence aims to disrupt the current ecosystem by creating fair, artist-first offerings around music rights and beyond. In 2024, Influence launched SLANG, their independent frontline record label and music publisher. A culture and tech forward music company, SLANG boasts an impressive roster of artists including a distribution deal with four time GRAMMY winning Will Smith, GRAMMY winning and multi-platinum producer Camper, GRAMMY winning and RIAA certified diamond producer 30 Roc, and Isaia Huron, Jace, Underachievers and more.
About Anthem Entertainment
Anthem Entertainment is a global music rights management and publishing company based in Toronto and Nashville. Anthem manages a broad portfolio of catalogs that includes works recorded by Britney Spears, Timbaland, Post Malone, Rush, The Weeknd, and OneRepublic.
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