This could be one of the most important music plagiarism decisions ever: The “dembow riddim” case.
In 1989, Jamaican duo Steely & Clevie released a single entitled “Fish Market.” It appeared as a B-side of a 7-inch single released on their own Kingston-based indie label Steely & Clevie Records. It’s not exactly what you’d call a hit.
What WAS a hit was the rhythm track.. You’ll recognize it immediately.
That simple beat is known as the “dembow” rhythm. Over the last dozen or so years, it’s become the foundation of a zillion Latin hits.
People representing Steely and Clevie have been engaged in legal action since 2023, claiming that everyone has illegally interpolated the rhythm and beat of “Fish Market” and has made millions of dollars as a result. Steely and Clevie want to get paid by close to sixty artists named in their plagiarism suit. In total, they claim that more than 100 artists and labels have used “their” dembow beat in more than 1,600 songs. Bad Bunny is responsible for 77 of them.
This is crazy. Along with song titles and chord progressions, beats have never been copyrightable. If they were, we’d have run out of songs long ago. Yet here we are. And if Steely and Clevie win, we’re screwed. The future of the entire reggaeton genre is riding on this.
Here’s the latest.
The judge in charge of what’s been dubbed the “demow riddim” copyright case in the US refused to rule either way. That means everything is going to go to a jury. It ain’t over yet.
