Rafael Ithier on Charlie Aponte’s counterclaim: “He’s not nice”

Musician Rafael Ithier, leader of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, was sparing in his statements about the counterclaim filed Wednesday by singer Charlie Aponte regarding royalty payments through well-known copyright management system, such as SoundExchange.

“That’s in the hands of the lawyers,” he said today at a press conference at the facilities of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, in Old San Juan, to present the group’s new album. Quarantined“That’s something that’s been going on for a while,” he added, revealing that “he was asleep” when he received the news.

In an aside with Primera Hora, the director expressed his feelings after the claim that started several years ago, even before filing the lawsuit against Aponte in 2019.

“He’s not nice,” he said in relation to the decision of the singer, with whom he was in a relationship of just over four decades of work. “But everyone has their right, because sure everyone has it,” he said, expressing his comment that “it’s seen one way, but maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, the promotion, because I don’t think it is. for so much. You simply have the right to do that. I also have a right. Everyone has rights, so let the lawyers decide “.

Ithier, in turn, expressed his interest in a harmonious course of the trial.

“The lawyers will tell me which is best, because I am a musician. They will tell me what to do to make things work in harmony ”.

Aponte responded with a counterclaim against the musician after federal judge Jay Garcia Gregory rejected a motion on March 12 to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Ithier regarding payment of royalties to Aponte through SoundExchange.

In the motion filed by Aponte, the artist claimed that Ithier’s lawsuit did not raise issues that gave federal court authority to consider the claim.

In November 2019, the director of the Universidad de la Salsa, represented by the lawyer Roberto Sueiro del Valle, filed a lawsuit in federal court against Aponte for his claim for royalties that Ithier believes do not correspond to him. The lawsuit finds that Aponte was just an employee of the group, so he is not entitled to any royalties from the themes. After 41 years in the group, Aponte’s departure took place on December 31, 2014 to start his solo career.

The lawsuit shows that Aponte’s claim for said payment originated two years ago, as he was the main interpreter of the songs recorded by El Gran Combo. However, in her claim, Ithier asks that she be declared as the sole owner with the right to collect the royalties from SoundExchange and that Aponte be declared an employee of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, without the right to collect them.

In the counterclaim filed this week, Aponte is asking federal court to determine that he is entitled to royalties from SoundExchange as a participant in the group’s recordings, as he is the lead voice of over 200 songs recorded by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico.

He also asks that the musician pay him royalties that have already been collected through SoundExchange that have not been distributed among the musicians. Within the royalty-sharing agreement, the document establishes a payment of 45% to the ‘principal interpreter’ and 5% to the non-principal interpreter or ratists appearing in the recording or sound.

Following Aponte’s claim, SoundExchange has suspended payments to Ithier until the case is resolved in court.