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Los Lobos Settles Sony Royalties Dispute
21 Aug
Summary
- Los Lobos settled a lawsuit with Sony Music over royalties for "Canción del Mariachi".
- The band had claimed non-payment for digital streams of the song.
- A separate lawsuit against Sony Pictures over "La Bamba" royalties is ongoing.
Los Lobos has settled a breach of contract lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment concerning royalties for the song "Canción del Mariachi." This track, featured in the 1995 film Desperado and a collaboration with Antonio Banderas, was at the center of the band's claim that they had not received any digital royalties.
The lawsuit, filed in December 2025, highlighted a significant increase in streams for the song, partly due to its use as a walkout anthem. Los Lobos alleged that Sony Music and its imprint Milan Records failed to pay royalties for these streams.
Meanwhile, Los Lobos is still engaged in a separate legal battle with Sony Pictures Entertainment over royalties from the 1987 "La Bamba" soundtrack. This case involves international streaming royalties for Ritchie Valens covers recorded by the band.
Sony Pictures stated it has fulfilled its payment obligations, including an adjusted payment of $22,000 for underpaid foreign streaming royalties. However, Los Lobos believes additional funds are still owed, and mediation is continuing in that matter.
