Marco Borsato’s music has brought in millions for years, but now that he is being prosecuted for abuse, the cash register is gathering dust. Until now… “How much does this earn him?”
© William Rutten
At the end of the year, four evenings will be organised in the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, where the music of Marco Borsato will be sung by a number of relatively unknown artists. While the singer himself stays at home on the couch, hits such as Dromen Zijn Bedrog and Wereld Zonder Jou will be performed during the theatre concert.
Not on stage
The shows take place without Marco’s cooperation, but does he make any money from them? The Telegraph has figured it out. Mike Leegwater, whose agency organizes the concerts, says that ‘all the great hits of Marco Borsato will be performed in the original version’.
Marco himself is not on stage, he emphasizes. “A big live band, fourteen people on stage and four vocalists. For the people it is really a journey back in time, along all the big hits they still remember from the past.”
No judgement
Marco is not involved at all. “No. It’s about the music and we stay far away from the person Marco Borsato. It’s really only the music that plays the leading role.”
“We have no judgment that plays a role in the commotion surrounding his person. It is really about the music. It will not be a story, there is no common thread in the show, it is purely the performance of the songs.”
Wait and see
Shouldn’t Mike have waited a bit longer for the lawsuit against Marco? “No, because the lawsuit is about Marco Borsato the person and not the songs. The songs weren’t written by him either. The music remains beautiful, the lyrics remain beautiful, the arrangements remain beautiful and a lot of people have enjoyed them very much.”
Why is the name Marco used? Does he get paid for it? “That is only done to explain what people can expect, which repertoire, but otherwise we do not use the name or the person Borsato at all. (…) That is why it says: ‘Marco’s hits’, and they are all performed.”
Cash in?
Is John Ewbank, Marco’s regular writer, involved in this? “Of course you have to pay BUMA rights. That’s a kind of legal thing and those who wrote the songs get a fee from that.”
And Marco too? “No, because he hasn’t written any songs. He has nothing to do with this story. He doesn’t benefit from it either.”
Marco doesn’t get a cent? “No, only the ones who wrote the songs. The rights holders of the songs.”
