Home / Arts and Entertainment / Salsa Legend's Estate Faces $300K Royalty Lawsuit
Salsa Legend's Estate Faces $300K Royalty Lawsuit
21 Jul
Summary
- A composer is suing for over $300,000 in unpaid royalties.
- The lawsuit involves two songs from Willie Colón's 1995 album.
- The composer claims his name was falsely removed from copyright paperwork.
A lawsuit filed on July 20, 2026, by Venezuelan composer Amílcar Boscán alleges that the estate of salsa icon Willie Colón owes him over $300,000 in royalties. Boscán claims this amount is due for two songs he wrote, "Caer en Gracia" and "Talento de Televisión," featured on Colón's 1995 collaborative album "Tras La Tormenta" with Rubén Blades. Boscán asserts he signed over copyrights in 1994 with an agreement for 50% of publishing royalties, but received neither payments nor royalty statements.
The legal complaint further states that "Talento de Televisión" has garnered more than 450 million streams on Spotify alone. Boscán accuses the Willie Colón Music Company of falsely representing Colón as the sole composer of "Talento de Televisión" by omitting Boscán's name from BMI registration paperwork. These claims include breach of contract and violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Boscán is also seeking to reclaim ownership of the copyrights for both songs through the termination right, a provision allowing authors to regain rights decades after assignment. He initiated a termination notice in 2024, effective in 2031, but the publisher has disputed its validity and the permissibility of termination. Willie Colón, a pioneering trombonist and bandleader known for shaping salsa music, passed away in February 2026 at age 75. A representative for his estate had not yet commented on the lawsuit as of July 21, 2026.
