Express article...
Panama group releases 'Palance'-like songBy Joel Julien joel.julien@trinidadexpress.com
Story Created: Apr 20, 2011 at 10:45 PM ECT
A GROUP from Panama has released a Spanish song bearing a resemblance to this country's 2010 record-breaking Road March winner "Palance".
The group Comando Tiburon, made up of four former disc jockeys, recently released the song titled "Jingle PH 2011". A video of the group performing the song can be found on the social networking site Youtube.
It bears a striking resemblance to the Road March hit sung by Jason "JW" Williams and Ancil "Blaze" Isaac and penned by Kernal Roberts.
Contacted by the Express yesterday, Isaac said both he and Williams found out about the song on Monday from a friend in Miami.
"We got wind of this Monday. This is new ground for us and we are just as surprised as anybody else," Isaac said, adding the Copyright Music Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago (COTT) was immediately contacted and told of the situation.
"We have not given anyone permission to use the song. Jason, Kernel and I are the ones who should be contacted for use of the song and none of us were contacted. We do not know who these guys are."
Isaac said a meeting was held with Junior Lett of COTT yesterday and an investigation has begun.
Comando Tiburon is said to have a distribution deal signed with record company Sony.
"It is madness that this group has bitten our song wholesale and that is disheartening," Isaac said.
Williams said according to their information, "Palance" has been playing in several night clubs in Latin America and the entire team was "taken aback" by the development.
So who is Comando Tiburon?
According to on-line encyclopedia Wikipedia, the group, translated in English as "Shark Command", was "founded in 2000 with 4 former radio DJ's: DJ Flecha, DJ Rolo, DJ Andy and DJ Magnetic with the idea of recording songs and rhythms used to give a change to music".
A further search by the Express has shown that Comando Tiburon also has a song entitled Vete Pa' la Verga, which bears resemblance to the 2004 hit "Stages" sung by now deceased Troydon 'Blazer Dan' Cruickshank.