Litmus Music Acquires Significant Portfolio of Compositions from benny blanco

Includes Numerous Multi-Platinum Hits and Hundreds of Titles

Los Angeles - Litmus Music (“Litmus”), a music rights business backed by global investment firm, Carlyle’s (NASDAQ: CG) Global Credit platform, announced today that it has acquired a portfolio of compositions from benny blanco, including select music publishing copyrights. The deal covers numerous multi-platinum hits and hundreds of songs.

blanco’s rich catalog of work spans his roles as an acclaimed songwriter, producer, recording artist, music publisher and record label founder, with an astounding thirty #1 Billboard singles and eleven Grammy nominations for Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Best R&B Song, and Producer of the Year.

This acquisition includes a list of multiple platinum songs and hits such as: “Eastside” recorded by benny blanco, Halsey & Khalid, “Roses” recorded by benny blanco & Juice WRLD featuring Brendon Urie, “Señorita” recorded by Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello, “Moves Like Jagger” recorded by Maroon 5, “Love Yourself” recorded by Justin Bieber, “Diamonds” recorded by Rihanna, “Die for You” by the Weeknd and re-released featuring Arianna Grande, “Now or Never” recorded by Halsey, and “Rockabye” recorded by Clean Bandit featuring Ann-Marie and Sean Paul.

This deal continues the Litmus team’s mission of developing a collaborative, artist-focused approach. The partnership was fostered by blanco’s long-standing relationship with Litmus’ Dan McCarroll, who first worked with benny at EMI Music Publishing more than a decade ago. The two have collaborated on a number of projects over the years.

“I first crossed paths with Dan as a young teenager,” said blanco. “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.”

Having operated at the highest levels of the music industry, Litmus’ founding members have collectively fostered deep connections with record labels, publishers, artist managers, and the artists themselves, with a mission to create value for artists and investors through the thoughtful management of music.

“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing benny since he was seventeen years old,” said Dan McCarroll, Litmus Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer. “It’s been a joy working with him over the years and watching him become the incredible writer and producer he is today. We at Litmus are honored to work with him now to support part of his incredible catalog.”

“benny is one of the most trusted and prolific creative forces in music today,” said Litmus Co-Founder and CEO, Hank 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.”

Carlyle Global Credit has invested capital for this transaction from its Credit Opportunities strategy, which has deployed $2.2 billion in and around the media and entertainment space since 2018. Carlyle Global Credit brings to the partnership the ability to structure bespoke financial solutions for partners and artists. 

About Litmus Music
Litmus Music is focused on acquiring and managing music rights, including both music publishing and recorded music, across multiple genres, geographies and vintages. With offices in Los Angeles and New York, Litmus was founded in 2022 by Hank Forsyth and Dan McCarroll, along with Carlyle’s Global Credit platform.

About Carlyle
Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Global Investment Solutions. With $381 billion of assets under management as of March 31, 2023, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs more than 2,200 people in 29 offices across five continents. Further information is available at www.carlyle.com. Follow Carlyle on Twitter @OneCarlyle.

Media Contacts
Grandstand Media: Kate Jackson, katej@granstandhq.com
Carlyle: Kristen Greco, kristen.greco@carlyle.com