Music Industry Daily

Influence Media Wins Anthem for $650M, Live Nation's Trump Call — June 26

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Music Industry Daily

BlackRock-backed Influence Media Partners emerges as the winning bidder for Anthem Entertainment's $650M music catalog, while court filings reveal Live Nation's CEO called Trump directly before the DOJ's antitrust settlement. Meanwhile, the law firm that took down Big Tobacco is now gunning for AI music generators Suno and Udio.

Deals & M&A

  • Ex-Blackstone exec Vlado Spasov launches Trimontium, a $1.5B alternative asset manager targeting music rights and IP royalties.
  • Influence Media Partners wins Anthem Entertainment's catalog — Rush + Timbaland masters and publishing — with a $650M-plus offer.

Lawsuits & AI

  • Court filings show Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino called Trump in February before the DOJ's surprise antitrust settlement; 30+ state AGs push to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster anyway.
  • Pandora cites a new appellate ruling to challenge the MLC's authority to sue over unpaid mechanical royalties on its free radio tier.
  • Hagens Berman — the $260B tobacco settlement firm — teams with Delgado Entertainment Law to file amended copyright suit against AI generator Udio.
  • 31 orgs, led by the European Music Managers Alliance, demand labels stop pressuring artists into AI licensing deals without meaningful consent.

Streaming & Tech

  • Tuned Global powers FanLabel's SongPicks music prediction-market app; over $1.5M already wagered on Kalshi on June's top Spotify USA artist.
  • SoundCloud and Twitch launch "SoundCloud Sessions," a 12-hour global DJ livestream series, riding a 39% year-on-year surge in DJ sets.
  • Luminate: English-language tracks hold 86% of US on-demand streams, but Latin and K-pop content are steadily chipping away at that share.

Live & Touring

  • San Antonio amends Ye's Alamodome contract to ban "Heil Hitler" performances and swastika merch at his July 4 show; cancellation was blocked.
  • HBO announces JAŸ-Z IN 8, an eight-part Rick Rubin-directed documentary series debuting fall 2026, executive produced by Jay-Z and Daniel Kaluuya.

Artists & Releases

  • Suno's new "Spark" incubator offers indie artists up to $10K in grants — but a permanent gag clause bars any criticism of the company.
  • Paula Moore reveals she signed Bassnectar to a new management deal in November 2025; his business is up 47% in Q1 2026.
  • Warner Music Group and Amoeba launch a nationwide vinyl take-back pilot at record stores.

Also Today

  • Michael Jackson biopic Michael crosses $1B at the box office, topping two Lord of the Rings films.
  • Rod Stewart and Lionel Richie both suffered onstage near-collapses this week, amplifying elder-touring safety concerns.

Five minutes, six categories, zero fluff.

SPEAKER_00

Today is Friday, june twenty sixth, twenty twenty six. First up, deals and MA A former Blackstone executive named Vlado Spasov has launched Trimontium, a London based alternative asset manager with one point five billion dollars in assets under management. Music rights and IP royalties are squarely in his sights. Meanwhile, BlackRock backed Influence Media Partners has won the bidding war for Anthem Entertainment's music catalog, a package that includes Rush Masters, Timbaland Masters, and Publishing, with an offer just over six hundred fifty million dollars. The transaction hasn't closed yet, but influence is the winning bidder. Moving to lawsuits and AI. Court filings have revealed that Live Nation CEO Michael Rupino spoke directly with President Trump in February before the Department of Justice reached its surprise antitrust settlement with the company. The White House Counsel's office also participated in finalizing that deal. Meanwhile, more than 30 state attorneys general won a jury monopoly verdict and are now pushing to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster entirely. In a separate case, Pandora is fighting the Mechanical Licensing Collective, the U.S. Royalties Administrator, over unpaid blanket license mechanical royalties on its free radio tier. Pandora cited a new appellate ruling to challenge the MLC's authority to sue. And a heavyweight law firm has entered the AI copyright wars. Hagen's Berman, the firm that won a $260 billion tobacco settlement, has joined with Delgado Entertainment Law to represent independent artists in copyright suits against AI music generators, Suno and UDIO. They filed an amended complaint against UDIO on june twenty second in the Southern District of New York. Meanwhile, the European Music Managers Alliance coordinated an open letter signed by 31 organizations, including the Feud Artists Coalition and the Black Music Action Coalition, demanding that labels and publishers not pressure artists into AI licensing deals without meaningful consent. Next up, streaming and tech. Tuned Global has signed a deal to provide the licensed music and metadata layer for fan labels SongPics, a paid entry skill-based music prediction market, where fans bet on chart outcomes. Over $1.5 million is already wagered on music prediction platforms on who will top Spotify USA this month. SoundCloud and Twitch have launched a collaborative 12-hour global DJ livestream series called SoundCloud Sessions, riding a 39% year-on-year surge in DJ sets on SoundCloud. And according to a new Luminate report, English language tracks account for 86% of US on-demand streams, but that share is steadily eroding as Latin and K-pop content continue to grow. On to live and touring. The new terms bar him from performing Heil Hitler and selling swastika merchandise. The City Council majority blocked outright cancellation, citing censorship concerns, and the show carries a projected $1.7 million economic impact. HBO has announced Ja Z in Eight, an eight-part documentary series directed by and starring Rick Rubin, interviewing Jay Z. It's executive produced by Jay Z, Rubin, and Daniel Kaluya under the Tetragrammaton banner, and it debuts this fall. Now artist news. There's a catch. A good vibes only contract clause permanently bars participants from ever portraying Suno or its products in a negative light. Greater Music Group CEO Paula Moore has revealed she signed EDM Act Base Nectar, that's Lauren Ashton, to a new management deal in November 2025. Moore originally signed Base Nectar to Universal back in 2005. She's reporting 47% business growth in the first quarter of 2026 across merchandise, licensing, and direct to fan sales. And Warner Music Group and Amoeba have launched a nationwide vinyl takeback pilot at record stores, following a successful study on recycled vinyl sound quality. That's your music industry rundown. Have a good Friday.