FM PRO TECH NEWS
Influence Media Partners, working with funds and accounts managed by BlackRock affiliates, has signed an agreement to acquire substantially all of Anthem Entertainment’s assets for more than US$600 million.
The proposed transaction covers Anthem’s music publishing catalogues, master recordings and film and television publishing assets, extending Influence Media’s position inside the increasingly competitive market for large-scale entertainment rights.
Anthem’s portfolio includes more than 24,000 released songs, alongside over 60,000 additional unexploited works.
The catalogue spans major recordings including Britney Spears’ Oops!… I Did It Again, Justin Timberlake’s SexyBack, Timbaland’s The Way I Are, Rush’s Tom Sawyer, OneRepublic’s Counting Stars and Cody Johnson’s Til You Can’t.
Its film and television assets also include music connected to the Spider-Man, Men in Black and LEGO Ninjago franchises.
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. – Influence Media founder and co-managing partner Lylette Pizarro McLean
Influence Media has built its wider portfolio around recorded music, publishing and name, image and likeness rights, with investments linked to artists and songwriters including Future, Enrique Iglesias, Blake Shelton, Tainy, Jessie Reyez and Julia Michaels.
The company also launched independent label and publisher SLANG in 2024.
For BlackRock, the transaction extends an existing partnership with Influence Media while reinforcing the appeal of established entertainment rights as long-term investment assets.
Anthem’s catalog exemplifies the high-quality, scaled intellectual property assets we seek within Direct Private Opportunities at BlackRock. We believe renowned entertainment assets with enduring cultural relevance can deliver long-term value for our investors. – Paul Braude, CIO of BlackRock’s Direct Private Opportunities Group
Anthem CEO Jason Klein described the sale as the next stage for a catalogue developed across publishing, recorded music and screen entertainment. He says:
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.
The deal remains subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2026.
For FM PRO TECH, the scale matters, but the structure matters more.
Music catalogues are no longer being valued only through existing streaming and licensing income. The inclusion of thousands of unexploited works points toward a broader strategy built around new placements, catalogue marketing, audiovisual licensing and the future activation of dormant intellectual property.
The real test will be whether institutional capital can create fresh cultural value around these works without reducing them to financial assets on a spreadsheet.