Santana Sued by Producer for Unpaid Royalties
November 7 -- Not even Carlos Santana himself could have predicted the 13-times-platinum success of Supernatural. But now, that success may be coming back to haunt him.
John Ryan, who produced three songs appearing on Santana's 1982 album, Shango, claims that he never received his share of the royalties earned from those recordings.
According to a lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Ryan says that an audit of his accounts showed that he is owed more than $72,000 for his work on "Hold On," "Nowhere to Run," and "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)." However, that amount may now total $200,000 or more, according to the terms of the original contract.
The suit contends that Ryan's original deal with Santana and his management company, Star Faith, called for the producer to earn an 8 percent fee for "Hold On," which hit No. 15 on the Billboard singles chart and later appeared on 1998's The Best of Santana. Along with that, Ryan is looking for a 4 percent fee for the other two songs. All three tracks, no doubt, have benefited from the success of Supernatural.
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