The rock band Los Lobos has filed lawsuits against Sony entities, claiming unpaid royalties exceeding $1.5 million for songs from the films La Bamba and Desperado. The disputes center on streaming revenues and licensing that the band alleges have gone unaccounted for worldwide. Filed late last year, the cases highlight ongoing issues in music royalty payments for classic soundtracks.
Los Lobos, the Grammy-winning band formed in East Los Angeles in 1973, accuses Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment of breaching contracts related to soundtrack contributions. The band, which has earned 12 Grammy nominations and four wins, claims it has received no proper accounting for global royalties from two major films.
The first lawsuit addresses the 1987 biopic La Bamba, about Ritchie Valens. Los Lobos' version of “La Bamba” topped charts in at least 15 countries, and the soundtrack achieved double platinum status. Despite this success, the band states it has never received streaming royalties for the recordings outside the United States and Canada. The issue came to light last March through royalty statements showing a “massive deficiency.” Unpaid amounts from Sony Pictures are estimated at $1 million to $2 million.
The second suit, recently moved to federal court, involves the 1995 film Desperado, directed by Robert Rodriguez. In 1993, Los Lobos provided several songs, including “Canción del Mariachi,” recorded with actor Antonio Banderas. Band member Cesar Rosas composed the track entirely. A 2004 compilation album, Robert Rodriguez’s Mexico and Mariachis, released by Milan Entertainment, featured the song. In 2018, Milan re-released it on Spotify and YouTube under the title “Mexico and Mariachis,” amassing 150 million streams on each platform.
Popularity surged recently when UFC fighter Ilia “El Matador” Topuria adopted it as his walkout anthem, leading to TV uses worldwide. Sony Music Masterworks acquired Milan in 2019 and updated the Spotify title to “Canción del Mariachi (Ilia Topuria ‘El Matador’ Anthem).” Yet, Los Lobos reports no royalty statements from Sony for these streams or licensing, calling the omission “egregious.” Worldwide streams exceed 600 million, entitling the band to $500,000 to $750,000, plus a 24 percent share of net licensing revenues.
The lawsuits seek damages, a new global accounting, and potentially a trial to determine exact figures, which could total up to $2.75 million or more. Lawyers for both sides declined to comment.