COTT probes Latin remake of Palance

The Copyright Music Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago (COTT) is investigating a remake of Palance by Panamanian group Comando Tiburon. The group’s video for the song has been posted on YouTube. Junior Lett, media licensing officer at COTT, said the organisation was alerted about the song a couple days ago and was trying to establish if the group was part of a collective organisation and if the song was registered before taking further action. Comando Tiburon is a reggaeton group comprising four former radio DJs—Rolo, Flecha, Magnetico and Phantom. 

The group was founded in 2000 and has recorded with Daddy Yankee, Calle 13 and Sean Paul, among others. The Palance remake is called Jingle PH2011 and up to yesterday evening had just over 3,500 hits on YouTube. The video features the singers at a party with dancers doing the “Palance Dance”. Kernal Roberts, who wrote Palance, the 2010 Road March and Soca Monarch-winning song for JW and Blaze, said the group took the entire song: melody, instrumentals and beat. “They eh ask for no permission... they have video everything. A certain part of the song they even use the Police in the Session melody,” said Roberts.

He said when he heard about the song, he asked JW and Blaze to research the group to see how big they were. He said the group had a distribution deal with Sony. A Wikipedia entry said in 2004 the group signed with Sony Music Central which began distribution throughout Central America of its CD “Commando Tiburon”, which mixed different styles, such as reggae, soca and Panamanian folk rhythms. Roberts said he would allow COTT to do its work first before deciding if to take any action.