Evergreen Copyrights

2 Live Tunes

July 21 2008, Ed Christman, Billboard Magazine

EverGreen Copyrights continued its acquisition spree by purchasing the assets of the Lil’ Joe Wein Music publishing catalog, which includes the entire output of 2 Live Crew and songs by the Posion Clan and 69 Boyz, Billboard has learned.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed but Billboard estimates that EverGreen paid about $3 million for the 700-plus-song catalog. The move bolsters the hip-hop component of the 75,000 songs the company has purchased through a series of acquisitions since its inception in 2005. The Lil’ Joe Wein Music deal marks the 19th acquisition by EverGreen in building a catalog that now throws off $7 million in net publisher’s share annually, according to EverGreen co-CEO David Schulhof.

Besides such 2 Live Crew songs like “Me So Horny,” “Pop That Pussy,” “Hoochie Mama” and “Get It Girl,” the EverGreen catalog includes works by Tupac Shakur, Bunny Sigler, MC Hammer, Teddy Riley, Full Force and Schoolly D. “Together we will work with [Lil’ Joe Records] to grow the catalog in film and television,” Schulhof says. Lil’ Joe Records owner Joe Weinberger retains ownership of the label’s master recordings.

In addition to its New York and Los Angeles marketing offices, EverGreen is calling upon synch agent/music supervisor P.J. Bloom to represent the catalog. Bloom is COO of Hunnypot Unlimited, which joined EverGreen in a publishing, placement and marketing venture earlier this year (Billboard, March 1).

Weinberger said in a statement that he picked EverGreen as the new home for the songs “because they have a keen interest and proper film/TV and marketing resources to continue building upon the legacy of these artists and their amazing songs.”

While the Lil’ Joe Wein acquisition strengthens EverGreen’s presence in hip-hop, Schulhof points out that its catalog is diverse, including works by Todd Rundgren, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, Bruce Fisher and Bill Monroe. EverGreen is financed by the Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking III fund and also has a line of credit from SunTrust Banks.

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