Benny Blanco, who has signed a catalog deal with Litmus Music. Photo credit: Matt Adam
A little less than a year after Litmus Music set sail with a roughly $500 million investment in song rights – and about six months after closing its first deal – Litmus Music has acquired “a portfolio of Benny Blanco compositions.”
Carlyle Global Credit-backed Litmus Music today unveiled its latest piece after purchasing Keith Urban’s record catalog in early 2023. And although bosses chose not to reveal the exact financial and ownership details of the deal involving 35-year-old Benny Blanco, they did say the investment stretches to “numerous multi-platinum hits and hundreds of songs.”
Some of these hugely popular titles include 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 native.
In addition, Benny Blanco has also produced and/or written titles popularized by Katy Perry (“Hot n Cold” and many others), Juice WRLD (“Black & White”), Ed Sheeran (“Don’t”) . “Perfect” and many more), Lil Dicky (“Freaky Friday”), Kesha (her debut single “Tik Tok” and many others) and Wiz Khalifa (“No Sleep”) to name a few.
In a statement, Benny Blanco emphasized his long-standing professional relationship (which dates back to EMI Music Publishing) with Litmus co-founder and chief creative officer Dan McCarroll.
“Dan first met me when I was a young teenager,” said 11-time Grammy nominee Blanco, who has yet to take home an award. “I feel like we’ve had so many dinners and talks that went beyond the music and they really helped shape me into the person I am today. I couldn’t imagine a better home for such a meaningful part of my catalogue.”
And in his own remarks, Litmus co-founder and CEO Hank Forsyth praised the musical skills of multiple BMI award winner Blanco.
“Benny is one of the most trusted and prolific creative forces in music today,” Forsyth shared. “The entire Litmus team is excited to see Dan and Benny back together and we are all so grateful that we care about these songs that continue to propel pop culture around the world.”
About a week ago, Peermusic invested in the music IP of bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs and his son as part of one of June’s many catalog deals, while Primary Wave secured an interest in the work of Joey Tempest from Europe. Meanwhile, reports suggest Warner Bros. Discovery is preparing to sell half of its music library for around $500 million.