The Chicano rock band Los Lobos has reached an agreement with Sony Music Entertainment regarding royalties for "Canción del Mariachi," a song from the 1995 film Desperado that featured their collaboration with Antonio Banderas.

According to court documents filed on Friday, August 21st, Los Lobos and Sony Music have jointly decided to dismiss the breach of contract lawsuit filed by the band. An attorney representing Los Lobos confirmed the settlement to Billboard, but declined to provide details of the agreement. Sony Music has not yet commented on the matter.

Los Lobos had sued Sony Music, whose imprint Milan Records handles the distribution of "Canción del Mariachi," in December 2025. The band alleged that they had not received any digital royalties for the recording, despite a significant increase in streams. This surge in popularity was partly attributed to mixed martial artist Ilia “El Matador” Topuria, who has used the song as his walkout anthem in recent years.

"Despite knowing that the popularity of the recording was increasing and reaching new audiences, Sony and Milan still paid nothing to Los Lobos for streaming, and continue to pay nothing, for streaming anywhere in the world or for any time period," the lawsuit stated.

Sony Music had broadly denied any wrongdoing or liability in its initial response to the lawsuit in February. Antonio Banderas was not involved in the legal proceedings.

Despite this settlement, Los Lobos is still involved in a separate legal dispute with another division of the Sony corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment. This ongoing lawsuit concerns royalties from the 1987 film La Bamba, a biopic about Ritchie Valens.

Filed in November 2025, this case claims that Los Lobos has been denied international streaming royalties for various Ritchie Valens covers that the band recorded for the La Bamba soundtrack. This includes their own rendition of "La Bamba," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks in 1987. Sony Pictures and its subsidiary Columbia Pictures are responsible for royalty accounting for this soundtrack outside of the U.S. and Canada.

Sony Pictures contends that it has fulfilled all its payment obligations to Los Lobos. Court documents indicate that following the filing of the La Bamba lawsuit, the company conducted an investigation and discovered an underpayment of $17,000 in foreign streaming royalties for a specific period. Sony Pictures' legal team stated that this amount, along with interest, totaling $22,000, was promptly paid to the band in January. However, Los Lobos maintains that additional funds are still owed, and mediation in this case is ongoing.

English Translation:

Los Lobos Settles Sony Music Lawsuit Over 'Desperado' Movie Soundtrack Royalties

Chicano rock band Los Lobos has reached an agreement with Sony Music Entertainment concerning royalties for "Canción del Mariachi," a song featured on the 1995 film Desperado, which included their collaboration with Antonio Banderas.

A court filing on Friday, August 21st, indicates that Los Lobos and Sony Music have jointly agreed to dismiss the band's breach of contract lawsuit. An attorney for Los Lobos confirmed the settlement to Billboard but did not disclose any terms. A Sony representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Los Lobos sued Sony Music, whose subsidiary Milan Records distributes "Canción del Mariachi," in December 2025. The band asserted they had not received any digital royalties for the recording, despite a significant increase in streams. This surge in popularity has been partly attributed to mixed martial artist Ilia “El Matador” Topuria, who has recently adopted the song as his walkout anthem.

"Despite the specific knowledge that the popularity of the recording was spiking and reaching new audiences, Sony and Milan still paid nothing to Los Lobos for streaming, and continues to pay nothing, for streaming anywhere in the world or for any time period," the lawsuit stated.

Sony Music broadly denied any wrongdoing or liability in its initial response to the lawsuit in February. Banderas was not involved in the case.

Even after Friday's settlement, Los Lobos is still engaged in a separate lawsuit against a different entity within the Sony conglomerate, Sony Pictures Entertainment, over royalties from the 1987 Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba.

That case, filed in November 2025, alleges that Los Lobos has been deprived of international streaming royalties for various Valens covers the band recorded for the La Bamba soundtrack. This includes Los Lobos' version of "La Bamba," which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987. Sony Pictures and its subsidiary, Columbia Pictures, are responsible for royalty accounting for that soundtrack outside of the U.S. and Canada.

Sony Pictures claims it has adhered to all payment obligations to Los Lobos. According to court filings, the company investigated after the La Bamba lawsuit was filed and discovered that $17,000 in foreign streaming royalties had been underpaid for a "discrete time period."

Lawyers for Sony Pictures stated that the company promptly sent that amount to the band, plus interest, totaling $22,000 in January. However, Los Lobos maintains that more money is still owed, and mediation is ongoing.