Los Lobos Sue Sony Music, Sony Pictures Over Unpaid Royalties

GRAMMY-winning Los Angeles outfit Los Lobos are suing Sony Music and Sony Pictures, alleging unpaid streaming royalties for use of their recordings in 1987 film La Bamba and 1995’s Desperado.

The claims:

• As per Digital Music News, the lawsuit alleges that Sony owes a combined total of “at least $1.5 million in contractual damages.”

• It accuses Sony of neglecting to pay streaming royalties for use of Los Lobos’ recordings in La Bamba and Desperado anywhere outside of the United States and Canada.

• It also notes that the song “Canción del Mariachi,” which was used in Desperado, is rising in popularity as MMA fighter Ilia “El Matador” Topuria uses it as his walkout anthem, and that neither Sony nor its imprint Milan Records have paid streaming royalties globally for its use.