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Federico Riera’s grandson moves to protect the Paraguayan composer’s musical legacy
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Culture & Society

Federico Riera’s grandson moves to protect the Paraguayan composer’s musical legacy

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Fernando Guibert, grandson and heir of Paraguayan composer Federico Riera, is working with rights organizations in Paraguay and Argentina to protect and document the composer’s works.
  • The effort follows revelations that more than 100 Paraguayan compositions were allegedly registered fraudulently in the United States under the name of someone who did not create them.
  • Guibert says royalty records for Riera’s music from 2018 to 2026 appear inconsistent with the works’ continued public exposure.

Fernando Guibert, grandson of Paraguayan composer Federico Riera, is pursuing a review of his grandfather’s musical legacy after the discovery of irregular registrations involving Paraguayan works in the United States.

Guibert said he and his sister Alejandra, the only heirs to Riera’s copyrights, are conducting procedures with authors’ organizations in Paraguay and Argentina. Their stated aim is to secure proper control and protection of the composer’s cultural heritage.

The case emerged after Autores Paraguayos Asociados, or APA, reported in August that more than 100 compositions by Paraguayan artists from different periods had been registered with a US rights-management organization under the name of a single person. Investigators said that person had not contributed to creating the works.

inconsistent

— Fernando GuibertHe described historical Sadaic royalty statements as inconsistent with the continued dissemination of Federico Riera’s compositions.

Riera was born in Asunción on Aug. 9, 1890, and died in Buenos Aires on July 31, 1976. His complete musical output is registered with the Argentine Society of Authors and Composers, known as Sadaic, in Buenos Aires. Guibert said he is communicating directly with Sadaic and APA officials to clarify how Riera’s works have been disseminated and how royalties have been collected.

Once APA provides a formal and detailed response, Guibert plans to compare the information with databases held by Paraguay’s Society of Producers. He also wants APA to record live performances of Riera’s compositions more accurately. Guibert described Sadaic’s historical royalty statements as “inconsistent” with the music’s continued circulation, saying that records for 2018 through 2026 show payments of 111,398.98 Argentine pesos, equivalent to $79.

This is completely unrealistic, and I would say it is a rip-off.

— Fernando GuibertHe criticized the reported royalty payments for Riera’s works between 2018 and 2026.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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