Influence Media Partners, backed by funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, has completed its acquisition of substantially all of Anthem Entertainment’s assets in a deal the companies value at more than $600 million. The transaction, first announced in July 2026, covers Anthem’s music publishing catalogs, film and television publishing assets, and master recordings.

According to the announcement, the deal adds more than 24,000 released songs and 60,000 unexploited works to Influence Media’s portfolio. The catalog includes writer and performer credits tied to recordings 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,” along with music featured in film and TV franchises including Spider-Man and Breaking Bad.

Anthem Entertainment is a music rights management and publishing company based in Toronto and Nashville. Influence Media, headquartered in New York, has previously built a portfolio that includes rights tied to Future, Enrique Iglesias, Blake Shelton and others, and operates the label and publishing venture SLANG, launched in 2024.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Emily Bender, hustleandco.com.

Interscope is expanding into Brazil through two new deals: a signing of hip-hop artist BK and a joint venture with Supernova Entertainment. The moves mark the major label’s entry into a market IFPI ranks as the eighth-largest in the world for recorded music.

The twin deals signal Interscope’s intent to build a lasting presence in Brazil rather than license material on a one-off basis, positioning the label to compete for local talent as streaming growth continues across Latin America.

Read the full story at Billboard.

Encore Recordings, the Los Angeles label launched by music executive Joie Manda in November 2021, says it is focused on developing the next wave of global stars, with particular emphasis on artists from Africa. The label points to the success of Nigerian artist Victony, whose track “SLICK” has surpassed 130 million streams, as evidence of its strategy paying off.

The milestone underscores continued momentum for African music on the global stage, as labels and executives increasingly look beyond traditional markets to find breakout talent. Encore’s positioning suggests further investment in international artists as the label builds out its roster.

Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.

Kroger and 17 affiliated companies have asked a federal court to toss out a copyright lawsuit filed by Sony Music over social media advertising, leaning on the US Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the Cox Communications case. The motion was filed Monday (November 2) in the US District Court for the Central District of California.

The filing marks the latest attempt by a corporate defendant to use the Cox decision, which narrowed the scope of secondary liability for copyright infringement, as a shield against music industry litigation. How the court rules could offer an early signal of how far that precedent extends beyond internet service providers.

Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.

Influence Media Partners has completed its acquisition of Anthem Entertainment’s catalogs in a deal valued at more than $600 million. The transaction was carried out alongside funds and accounts managed by BlackRock.

The announcement, made November 5, marks one of the larger catalog deals of the year and adds to Influence Media’s growing portfolio of music rights.

Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.

Musixmatch and DistroKid have signed a new multi-year agreement to continue their lyrics distribution partnership, under which DistroKid artists’ lyrics are made available through Musixmatch’s platform and partner services.

The renewal comes as Insight Partners, a longstanding investor in DistroKid, is set to retain a significant minority stake in the company, according to a July announcement referenced alongside the deal news.

Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.

UK independent ticketing platform Skiddle has secured its first external investment since launching in 2001, with Soho Square Capital taking a minority equity stake. Founders Ben Sebborn and Richard Dyer retain control of the business and continue to lead it alongside CFO Peter Hinnigan, with Soho Square director Joe Tebbutt joining the board.

The company says the capital will support expansion into lifestyle events such as comedy, food and drink, theatre and sport, as well as continued investment in technology and marketing. Skiddle also plans European expansion, building on its existing presence in the Republic of Ireland and markets including Ibiza, Mallorca, Malta, Tenerife and Marbella.

According to the announcement, Skiddle generated £178 million in face-value ticket sales across 180,000 listed events in 2025, with a 98 percent promoter retention rate, and has grown revenue by more than 20 percent annually over the past two years. The deal is Soho Square’s second investment from its Partnership Capital Fund II.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Neighbourhood PR, neighbourhoodpr.com.