By SEETA PERSAD Monday, March 23 2009

click on pic to zoom in

No money: Ian "Bunji Garlin" Alvarez, and his wife Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez attended the prize distribution ceremony for the International Soca Monarch c...

Five soca artistes, including Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez, her husband Ian “Bunji Garlin” Alvarez, Lalchan Babwah (Hunter), Shurwayne Winchester and Nadia Batson are now discussing legal action against the Caribbean Prestige Foundation (CPF) for demanding five percent of their winnings at the 2009 International Soca Monarch competitions.

Fay-Ann, who won the Power Soca Monarch, Groovy Soca Monarch and People’s Choice prizes on Carnival Friday, last month, was presented at last Friday’s prize distribution ceremony, Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s, with a letter stating she could not receive her money because she did not sign a contract agreeing to pay the five percent.

Her earnings this year are: Power Soca, $1,000,000 and a car; Groovy Soca, $150,000; People’s Choice, $50,000. Fay-Ann, Bunji Garlin, and Batson told Sunday Newsday yesterday they would not be signing any contract.

Fay-Ann’s manager Ian Pantin yesterday insisted soca artistes were not told about the contract when CPF began the preliminary round of the competition.

“I believe that the papers should be signed way before the artistes mount the stage. I believe CPF should not allow the artistes to perform without signing the agreement. This way there can be no problem in the final analysis,” he said.

Pantin said it was “ridiculous” that winners were being asked to give back five percent of their prizes, especially since CPF boasted of profitable gate receipts every year.

Bunji Garlin again said he was baffled that CPF has been running the soca competition for 17 years and began asking artistes for a cut of their winnings for the past three years. “The prize moneys come directly from the Ministry of Culture, therefore it should not be subjected to any kinds of cuts,” Bunji Garlin said.

Artistes, he said, spend more than $100,000 in preparation for the competition and felt CPF should have sought their views before the start of the competition.

“It is unfair to the artiste who continues to produce good music through the years to be faced with this kind of situation,” he said. He noted he received five percent less than his earnings in 2008 and he did nothing about it then, but he was not prepared to do so this year.

CPF executive president Gregory Fernandez again expressed surprise at the attitude of the soca artistes.

“We have lobbied for the contestants to get a bigger prize package this year and we were hoping that they will agree with the contracts since it will draw a perfect balance for the smooth running of the show,” Fernandez said. He said this year’s prize money amounted to $3.1 million and the CPF received $2 million from the ministry, and added that all artistes were invited to a meeting last August to voice their concerns. “The only concern was on the input of the foreign acts participating in the competition,” he said. Fernandez pointed out artistes paid the five percent last year and he did not anticipate any objection this year, and pointed out that Iwer George paid his and got his cheque. George had told Sunday Newsday yesterday artistes should be grateful for the opportunities they got through CPF.

Minister in the Ministry of Culture, Junia Regrello, yesterday said his ministry writes the cheques according to the list given by CPF. He also said it is the right of the performer to seek legal advice on the prize arrangement.