Benny Blanco, who’s inked a catalog deal with Litmus Music. Photo Credit: Matt Adam
A little less than one year after setting sail with about $500 million to invest in song rights – and roughly six months after closing its first deal – Litmus Music has acquired “a portfolio of compositions from benny blanco.”
Carlyle Global Credit-backed Litmus Music unveiled its newest play today, having bought the recorded catalog of Keith Urban towards 2023’s beginning. And while higher-ups opted not to disclose the precise financial and ownership details of the deal with 35-year-old Benny Blanco, they did indicate that the investment extends to “numerous multi-platinum hits and hundreds of songs.”
Among these ultra-popular tracks are Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” Halsey’s “Now or Never,” Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello’s “Señorita,” Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger,” and Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself,” all of which were written and produced by the Reston, Virginia-born musician.
Additionally, Benny Blanco has likewise produced and/or written tracks popularized by Katy Perry (“Hot n Cold” as well as a number of others), Juice WRLD (“Black & White”), Ed Sheeran (“Don’t,” “Perfect,” and many more), Lil Dicky (“Freaky Friday”), Kesha (her debut single, “Tik Tok,” and an array of others), and Wiz Khalifa (“No Sleep”), to name some.
In a statement, Benny Blanco highlighted his longstanding professional relationship (dating back to EMI Music Publishing) with Litmus co-founder and chief creative officer Dan McCarroll.
“I first crossed paths with Dan as a young teenager,” said the 11-time Grammy nominee Blanco, who has yet to take home one of the awards. “I feel like we’ve had so many dinners and conversations that have gone beyond music and they really helped guide and shape me into the person I am today. There’s no better home I could imagine for such a meaningful part of my catalog.”
And in remarks of his own, Litmus co-founder and CEO Hank Forsyth touted the musical skills of the multi-time BMI Award winner Blanco.
“benny is one of the most trusted and prolific creative forces in music today,” communicated Forsyth. “The entire Litmus team is thrilled to see Dan and benny together again and we are all so grateful to care for these songs that continue to drive pop culture around the globe.”
About a week ago, in one of June’s multiple catalog deals, Peermusic invested in the music IP of bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs as well as his son, whereas Primary Wave secured an interest in the work of Europe’s Joey Tempest. Meanwhile, reports have suggested that Warner Bros. Discovery is preparing to sell half its music library for around $500 million.
