Publicist: Skinny Banton not seeking royalties from steelbands

Adanna Asson, publicist for Skinny Banton (Shirlan George), has distanced the artiste and his management from claims that he was seeking royalties from steelbands who performed his mega-hit, Wrong Again, during this year's Panorama competition.

BPTT Renegades hoped to score a hat-trick with the song in the Panorama finals on Saturday night.

While it was expected that Skinny Banton's song had the potential to win the Groovy Soca Monarch competition held on Friday night, he did not make it to the first three places.

But, Asson said this did not affect her client's feeling of success for the busy season he has had.

"Just to be explicitly clear, no type of expression was made by my client or his management on this matter. Fabian Alfonso, a copyright advocate in an interview with a steelpan authority expressed his sentiments about the use of music for pan arrangements.

"We were not part of that discussion. Skinny Banton has been enjoying the season thus far and we are honoured that bands like Renegades and others heard the beauty of the song and saw it fitting to replicate it on the steelpan. Fabian's thoughts are not associated with ours and he can clarify his stance with you."

President of Pan Trinbago Beverley Ramsey-Moore said she was not contacted regarding this matter.

"That's strange news to me. I have not heard anything from any band. They have not reported that. That would be a strange thing for Pan Trinbago because I know for our artistes here, they are happy when a steelband plays your song, then you know you really have a song. But no band has reported that to me."

Contacted on Saturday, Alfonso said he had not made the statement that Skinny Banton should be paid royalties.

He refused to name the authority which had made the suggestion in a social media post but noted it was now being asked to remove it.

As a result of the post, he said, the artiste was being attacked online users.

"I think his song was used as an example about how many times it was used by the steelbands. It is something that we have to have a conversation about, I am not disputing that, but the way that it has been done...you know we in Trinidad can be very attacking. It has to be fixed before we can go forward with it."

Alfonso denied that there was any discussion between himself and Skinny Banton on the issue.