Influence Media Partners, backed by BlackRock, has agreed to buy Anthem Entertainment's music publishing, master recording, and film and TV publishing assets in a deal worth more than $600 million. The acquisition significantly expands Influence Media's catalogue and underlines the growing role of institutional investors such as BlackRock in the music rights market, where song catalogues are increasingly treated as investable assets.

The deal covers Anthem's stake in over 24,000 released songs, including Britney Spears' "Oops!… I Did It Again," Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack," and Rush's "Tom Sawyer," as well as soundtracks from the Spider-Man and Men in Black franchises. Billboard had previously reported that Influence Media's bid of just above $650 million beat around a dozen rival offers. The transaction, which requires approval from Canada's Heritage regulator, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026; Truist Bank arranged debt financing, while Goldman Sachs advised Anthem and Clifford Chance and Stikeman Elliott advised BlackRock.