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Influence Media to Buy Anthem Entertainment Catalog for $600M
Influence Media Partners, financed by funds and accounts managed by affiliates of BlackRock, has signed an agreement to acquire substantially all of Anthem Entertainment’s music publishing, master recording and film‑and‑TV publishing assets for a purchase price of more than $600 million. The transaction covers Anthem’s catalog of over 24,000 released songs and more than 60,000 unexploited works, including titles such as Britney Spears’ “Oops! … I Did It Again,” Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack,” Timbaland’s “The Way I Are,” Rush’s “Tom Sawyer,” and OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars.” It also includes soundtracks from franchises like Spider‑Man, Men in Black and the LEGO Ninjago Movie. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions, requires approval from the Canadian Heritage regulator, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026. Anthem’s controlling shareholder, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, will exit through the sale. Influence Media, founded in 2019 and previously backed by Warner Music Group, is positioning the acquisition as a major milestone for its growth platform.
Entities
Anthem Entertainment · BlackRock · Influence Media Partners · Jason Klein · Lylette Pizarro McLean
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Anthem’s controlling shareholder, will exit through the sale. www.musicbusinessworldwide.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The acquisition is financed by funds and accounts managed by affiliates of BlackRock. www.digitalmusicnews.com · www.musicbusinessworldwide.com · www.billboard.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Influence Media Partners signed an agreement to acquire Anthem Entertainment's assets for over $600 million. www.digitalmusicnews.com · www.musicbusinessworldwide.com · www.billboard.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The catalog includes songs by Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Cody Johnson, Rush, and OneRepublic. www.digitalmusicnews.com · www.musicbusinessworldwide.com · www.billboard.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The catalog includes soundtracks from Spider‑Man, Men in Black and the LEGO Ninjago Movie. www.digitalmusicnews.com · www.musicbusinessworldwide.com · www.billboard.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The acquisition includes music publishing, master recording, and film & TV publishing assets. www.digitalmusicnews.com · www.musicbusinessworldwide.com · www.billboard.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Anthem's catalog contains more than 24,000 released songs and over 60,000 unexploited works. www.digitalmusicnews.com · www.musicbusinessworldwide.com · www.billboard.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026. www.digitalmusicnews.com · www.musicbusinessworldwide.com · www.billboard.com