Japanese firm sweeps Leiber/Stoller catalogs

Trio, Quartet songbooks boast over 20,000 titles

By JUSTIN OPPELAAR

Japanese music-publishing firm Windswept Classics has the fever for some classic American R&B, snapping up key catalogs from legendary songwriters and producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in a deal valued in the mid-eight figures.

Windswept and Japanese trading company Itochu Corp. have acquired the Trio Music and Quartet Music catalogs from Leiber & Stoller, ending a long period of speculation over a potential selloff of parts of the famed duo's catalog.

The Trio and Quartet songbooks boast more than 20,000 titles, including some of the most well-known pop hits of the modern era. Songs on offer include "Fever," "What A Wonderful World," "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy" and "Under The Boardwalk." The catalogs do not contain any titles written by Leiber & Stoller, however.

Windswept Classics and sister company Windswept Holdings are owned by Fuji Television Network and Fujipacific Music. Windswept Holdings will take over day-to-day management of the Trio and Quartet catalogs for the congloms.