They order the withholding of revenue from Silvio Rodríguez's concerts in Chile: This is the reason

The visit of Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez to Chile, as part of his South American tour, has been embroiled in a surprising legal controversy.

While the troubadour fills the Movistar Arena in Santiago across the four scheduled dates—September 29, October 1, 5, and 6—Chilean justice has ordered the retention of a portion of the revenue generated from ticket sales.

The amount totals 100 million Chilean pesos, equivalent to about 106 thousand US dollars at the current exchange rate.

What prompted the court ruling?

The action was driven by the Chilean Society of Authors and Musical Interpreters (SCD), which accuses the production company in charge of the concerts, Redeyes, of maintaining a debt accumulated over more than a decade for unpaid copyright fees.

According to the SCD, in December 2013 Redeyes signed a “Contract for Authorization of Communication or Public Performance of Musical Works and Phonograms at Concerts,” as part of the agreement with the Guild Association of Entertainment and Culture Production Companies (AGEPEC).

However, since then – and despite continuing to organize performances and exploiting protected works – the company has repeatedly breached the contract, failing to make the necessary payments to the authors of the songs used in the shows.

The situation was exacerbated by the fact that the company allegedly resorted to a constant strategy of changing its corporate name, which complicated the collection and auditing processes.

The ruling of the 21st Civil Court of Santiago

In light of this situation, the 21st Civil Court of Santiago decided to accept the precautionary measure requested by the SCD and ordered the retention of 100 million pesos from the funds generated by ticket sales, which were collected by the platform Puntoticket.

This means that such funds cannot be withdrawn or distributed until the underlying legal conflict is resolved.

The SCD aims to ensure the payment of the accumulated debt for copyright, which is estimated to be substantial, although it has not been publicly specified beyond the amount currently being withheld.

The General Director of the SCD, Juan Antonio Durán, explained the decision firmly.

"Our mission as an organization that defends and protects the rights of authors is to act with the utmost firmness to make it clear that music has value and that it must be respected," she said in statements quoted by the local press.

Durán emphasized that this action is based not only on contractual and legal breaches but also on a fundamental principle.

“Measures like these are necessary to highlight the importance of adhering not only to what the law and contracts stipulate, but also to the basic premise that without authors there is no music, and without music there are no concerts,” he added.

These statements reflect a strong stance from the guild of authors and performers, seeking to set a precedent against a phenomenon that they claim has become recurrent in the entertainment industry in Chile: the commercial use of protected works without the appropriate payment of royalties.

And what about Silvio Rodríguez?

It is important to clarify that the legal action is not directed against Silvio Rodríguez, nor is his participation in the conflict being questioned.

The singer-songwriter, who does not have a direct contractual relationship with the local production company, continues his tour through South America. His concerts in Chile have been successful and well-attended, marking a long-awaited reunion with the Chilean audience after seven years of absence.

The retention measure is prejudicial, meaning it was granted as a precaution while the main trial is underway. If the court rules in favor of the SCD, the withheld funds could be used to cover part of the accrued debt. Conversely, it would be returned to the producer.

Will the payment to Silvio Rodríguez be affected?

So far, there are no signs that the artist Silvio Rodríguez is being directly affected by the court ruling, but it is also unclear that he won’t eventually be impacted.

The retention of 100 million pesos ordered by the court applies exclusively to ticket sales revenue and is directed against the local producer Redeyes, due to non-compliance with copyright payments to the SCD.

Silvio Rodríguez, as a contracted performer for the concerts, is not part of the legal action and has not been accused of any irregularities.

It is common for artists of their level to receive their fees through independent contracts with the production company, and for payments to be managed in advance, either partially or in full, from separate accounts to ticketing revenues.

Therefore, unless Redeyes has failed to meet its contractual obligations to the artist— a situation that has not been publicly reported— there are no known reasons to believe that their payment is at risk.

CNN Chile recently clarified that neither the company Redeyes nor representatives of the artist have made public statements regarding the court ruling.

As of the writing of this note, there is no additional information regarding the case.

In addition to Chile, Silvio Rodríguez is expected to perform in Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, and Colombia.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Retention of Funds from Silvio Rodríguez's Concerts in Chile