{"id":43985,"date":"2026-08-14T08:58:38","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T03:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=43985"},"modified":"2026-08-14T08:58:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T03:58:38","slug":"influence-media-invests-in-mena-music-catalog-buyer-more-deals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=43985","title":{"rendered":"Influence Media Invests in MENA Music Catalog Buyer &#038; More Deals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>Influence Media Partners<\/strong> made a strategic investment in <strong>IPNation<\/strong>, described in a press release as \u201cthe first investment platform dedicated exclusively to Arabic music catalogs and entertainment intellectual property.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tIPNation, which has a target investment size of $100 million, will focus on acquiring music and entertainment intellectual property in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, including music masters and publishing rights, artist brands, and name, image and likeness (NIL) rights. The company will develop the IP it acquires \u201cinto multi-format entertainment franchises spanning immersive experiences, live shows, film, documentaries, merchandise, gaming, licensing, AI-powered derivatives, and next-generation fan engagement,\u201d states the release.<\/p>\n<div class=\"injected-related-story \/\/ lrv-u-align-items-center u-align-items-flex-start@mobile-max  lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest  lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column@mobile-max u-width-710@desktop lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-u-margin-tb-1 u-margin-b-250@mobile-max u-margin-t-275@mobile-max u-margin-t-250@desktop u-margin-b-250@desktop u-margin-lr-n1@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-1 lrv-u-border-color-brand-secondary-dark lrv-u-border-t-1 lrv-u-padding-tb-1  lrv-u-padding-tb-1@mobile-max lrv-u-padding-r-1@mobile-max lrv-u-padding-l-00@mobile-max u-grid-gap-18@desktop u-grid-gap-0@mobile-max\">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  a-article-related-module-title a-article-related-module-title--color-brand-primary a-font-accent-xl u-font-weight-800 u-letter-spacing-0179 u-line-height-normal lrv-u-color-grey-dark bb-pro-related-stories-label lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<div class=\"injected-related-story-wrapper lrv-u-flex lrv-u-justify-content-space-between  a-children-border-vertical a-children-border--grey a-children-border-width-050\">\n<div class=\"o-card  lrv-u-width-100p\">\n<div class=\"o-card__image-wrap lrv-u-flex-shrink-0 u-width-191 u-width-150@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image   lrv-u-margin-b-00@mobile-max u-width-130px@mobile-max lrv-u-margin-b-00@mobile-max\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/lists\/jodeci-signs-agency-reunion-tour-artist-deals\/\" class=\"c-lazy-image__link lrv-a-unstyle-link\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"a-crop-6x4 a-crop-3x2@mobile-max\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/P1162OPV.jpg?w=237&amp;h=147&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"K-Ci, DeVante Swing, and JoJo of Jodeci at the 2022 BET Awards held at the &#10;Microsoft Theater on June 26, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.\" srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"auto\" height=\"\" width=\"\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tIPNation was founded by Anghami co-founder <strong>Eddy Maroun<\/strong> and <strong>Jose Maria Dot<\/strong>, former chief investment officer of Multiply Group (now 2PointZero) and managing director of FTI Capital Advisors. Influence Media Partners, led by founder and co-managing partner <strong>Lylette Pizarro McLean<\/strong>, specializes in the acquisition and management of music and entertainment intellectual property. Supported by strategic partnerships with funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, its portfolio includes works by artists including DJ Khaled, Enrique Iglesias and Future.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cThis partnership marks an important step in the evolution of Influence Media,\u201d said <strong>Ram Kolluri<\/strong>, head of investments and strategic partnerships at Influence Media Partners, in a statement.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve long believed that premium music IP is a global asset class, and the Middle East represents one of the most exciting opportunities for long-term growth. IPNation combines deep regional expertise with a compelling vision for the future of Arabic music and entertainment IP. Together, we believe we can create lasting value for creators, rights holders, and audiences across the region and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cArabic music and entertainment IP represent one of the most undervalued cultural asset classes globally today,\u201d said Dot, IPNation\u2019s CEO. \u201cIPNation was created to institutionalize investment into iconic and predictable income-generating IP while generating upside through our IPNation Value Creation Playbook, bringing our music to larger audiences efficiently. We believe the Middle East is entering a new era where culture itself becomes a scalable financial asset.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>Eddy Maroun<\/strong>, chairman and chief innovation officer of IPNation, added:\u00a0\u201cFor decades, Arabic music created massive cultural impact but very little long-term ownership value for the region itself. IPNation changes that. We are not only acquiring catalogs; we are building a platform that transforms Arabic IP into global entertainment franchises across music, live experiences, storytelling, gaming, AI, and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>Read about more recent industry deals below.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"pmc-gallery-vertical\">\n<div class=\"c-gallery-vertical-loader u-gallery-app-shell-loader\">\n<ul class=\"pmc-fallback-list-items lrv-a-unstyle-list lrv-u-margin-t-2\">\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Live Nation Buys Majority Stake in Three Prague Venues<\/h2>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>Live Nation<\/strong> signed a deal with Czech investment group <strong>PPF<\/strong> to acquire a majority stake in three of Prague\u2019s leading venues, including the 20,000-capacity O2 arena, the 5,000-capacity 02 Universum and the 4,000-capacity Forum Karl\u00edn. According to a press release, all three venues \u201cwill remain open to all artists, promoters and event organisers,\u201d while the venues\u2019 existing management teams will remain in place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe deal is subject to regulatory approvals and closing conditions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Singapore Live Entertainment Company Triangle Group Raises $15M<\/h2>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<span>S<\/span>ingapore-headquartered live entertainment platform <strong>Triangle Group<\/strong> (formerly Creation Collective), which funds and operates tours in Asia and Australia, raised $15 million in combined equity and venture debt. That includes a $10 million equity seed round led by<strong> DSG Consumer Partners<\/strong>, which was joined by <strong>Golden Gate Ventures<\/strong>, the <strong>Oberoi Family Office<\/strong> and assorted angel investors; and a $5 million venture debt facility from <strong>Genesis Alternative Ventures<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tIn addition to the capital raise, the company announced that <strong>Roger Field<\/strong>, formerly president of Live Nation Asia Pacific and CEO of Live Nation Australia &amp; New Zealand, joined Triangle Asia as executive director and operating partner after spending a year as an advisor and investor in the business.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Ticketmaster Enters Uruguay With RED UTS Acquisition<\/h2>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>Ticketmaster<\/strong> launched in Uruguay through the acquisition of <strong>RED UTS<\/strong>, a leading ticketing platform in the country. The official url for Ticketmaster\u2019s Uruguay site, which is now active, is <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ticketmaster.uy\" target=\"_blank\">www.ticketmaster.uy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Symphonic Partners With ArtyShield \u2018AI Trust\u2019 Platform ArtyShield<\/h2>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>Symphonic<\/strong> struck a new collaboration with <strong>ArtyShield<\/strong>, described as \u201can AI trust infrastructure platform that helps artists and rightsholders protect their music and voices from unauthorized AI use.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThrough the partnership, Symphonic clients can now access ArtyShield within the \u201cClient Offerings\u201d section of SymphonicMS. Included in the ArtyShield toolkit is MusicShield, a technology designed to protect music before its release. According to the press release, MusicShield \u201cproactively modifies machine-perceived acoustic features in ways that remain imperceptible to human listeners, making tracks significantly more difficult for AI systems to interpret, learn from, or use in training while preserving the original listening experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tAccording to the release, Symphonic clients will also have access to other ArtyShield tools, including VeriTune, which \u201canalyzes recordings to determine whether a track may have been AI-generated and provides explainable results beyond a simple yes-or-no determination\u201d; VoiceShield, which \u201chelps protect vocal performances from unauthorized voice cloning and synthetic speech misuse\u201d; and VeriVoice, which \u201chelps identify AI-generated or cloned voice recordings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tBeyond those offerings, ArtyShield will soon launch ArtyShield Certify, a new \u201ccertification workflow designed to provide verifiable proof that creative works are human-created, supporting future licensing, legal, and platform verification needs,\u201d the release adds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSymphonic clients can use ArtyShield for free, though paid tiers with additional capabilities will be available beyond that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThis is the latest deal Symphonic has signed focused on protecting creators and rights holders from AI misuse. The company has previously struck similar agreements with Sureel AI and SourceAudio. It also recently unveiled its AI-powered Release Campaign Builder, which helps generate customized marketing strategies for artists, labels and managers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>The Archive of Contemporary Music Relocating to Connecticut<\/h2>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>The Archive of Contemporary Music (ARC) <\/strong>is bringing its massive archive of popular music, which spans more than 3 million sound recordings and over 3,000 musical genres, to <strong>Ridgefield, Conn.<\/strong>, through the purchase of a two-story, 18,000 square foot commercial property in the city. The archive was previously based in New York State.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tIn addition to sound recordings, the archive includes thousands of photos, books, magazines, videos, sheet music, memorabilia and other materials that document the evolution of recorded music since 1945. At its new location, ARC will featured rotating exhibitions and other public events, including lectures, listening experiences and educational programming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe ARC headquarters in Ridgefield will also house the office and recordings of Afropop Worldwide, the public radio program and multimedia platform that boasts more than 40,000 African and African diaspora recordings in its collection. Also contained at the facility will be Keith Richards\u2019 collection of more than 21,000 recordings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tARC was co-founded by its director, <strong>B. George<\/strong>, whose personal collection of 47,000 recordings became the basis of the archive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Deezer\/Winamp<\/h2>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>Winamp<\/strong> struck a partnership with <strong>Deezer<\/strong> that will see the latter powering Winamp\u2019s premium music subscription service, which is scheduled to debut in the first half of next year. Deezer will provide Winamp with its white-label music streaming technology and global music catalog, allowing Winamp to launch the subscription offering under its own brand. The service will be integrated into the new Winamp player, which will combine streaming \u201cwith users\u2019 local music libraries, internet radio stations, podcasts, personal cloud-based collections and other audio sources,\u201d according to a press release.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Influence Media Partners made a strategic investment in IPNation, described in a press release as \u201cthe first investment platform dedicated exclusively to Arabic music catalogs and entertainment intellectual property.\u201d IPNation, which has a target investment size of $100 million, will focus on acquiring music and entertainment intellectual property in the Middle East and North Africa&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IPNation-logo-billboard-1800.jpg?w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}