Pirated copies of George Wassouf’s album spread throughout Jordan and Israel

Published April 23rd, 2004 - 03:00 GMT

The case of forged copies of albums for Lebanese singer George Wassouf seems to haunt him with every planned release. It has been revealed that forged copies of his upcoming album have been leaked to the public before the official scheduled release. The singer seems to experience this type of misfortune every single time he prepares for a new album, making one wonder if it is truly a coincidence.

According to the London based Elaph, it has been revealed that forged copies of the album are found in different record stores around Jordan and that the album will be released in stores around Israel this week, before its official launch date. The album is originally scheduled is April 26, 2004.

Large posters advertising for the album have already been hung on all cassette stores in Israel. It is revealed that in Israel there is no such thing as Copyright, which means that all the Arabic albums released in stores are forged copies. The production company of the album “Rotana” up until this point has not taken any actions with regards to the matter. It is unclear who are the sources behind pirating the albums.

Wassouf is to submit his album "It'akharit Ikteer" (You Are Too Late) to Rotana by the end of April, which is when his contract with the company becomes negated. After the album is launched, the singer will begin his new contract with the said company.

Wassouf had just completed placing final touches on his upcoming albumand worked extensively on making sure that all the details of the album are complete by dividing his time recording the music and his voice at the recording studio.

Recently, George announced that he will be renewing his contract with Rotana, going back on a recent decision he had made refusing the idea completely. George had held a meeting with one of Rotana’s top administration officials to negotiate the prospect of renewing his contract, and resolving any minor complications or loose ends.

After extensive negotiations, Wassouf finally agreed to renew his contract for another three years. The singer had demanded a number of alterations to be made to the contract, to ensure that all his conditions are met and he is given his deserved share. A press conference took place October 4, 2003 at Virgin Mega Stores in Lebanon, where the renewal was announced in addition to details regarding the new contract.

The new album, like his previous ones, features five songs only, four of which composed by Egyptian composer Ahmad Al Ataf and one by Riad Al Bundik. The song that is composed by Riad is a remix of one of George’s old songs, which he had sung over ten years ago. The song “Sahirt Al Lail” (I Stayed Up All Night) was never included in any of George’s previous albums. The song is considered a long one and lasts about 17 minutes. –Albawaba.com