Speaker 1: Digitalmusicnews dot com. Los Lobos files dual lawsuits against Sony
Music and Sony Pictures over alleged non payment of royalties
from films. Now, I have not pre read this, but
when you said this to me, when you mentioned that
there was this news about Los Lobos, my first thought
was LaBamba. Yeah, because that's what everyone thinks of. Of course,
when you think of Los Lobos, you think of La Bamba.
You think of not only the song obviously LaBamba, but
the movie about Richie Valence. Because that's how Los Lobos
in the eighties, that's how they became famous was because
of that song. That's I mean, I don't know if
they really even have any other mainstream Billboard Hot one
hundred hit songs necessarily, but that's the one everybody thinks of.
Speaker 2: You want a quick perusal here, I'm not so sure.
Oh yeah, no, it is in part the LaBamba soundtrack, Okay.
But also it looks like there might have been a
film done in Canada.
Speaker 3: I'm sorry, what.
Speaker 2: There might have been another film done in Canada? Song?
Speaker 1: Oh oh in Canada. Well, let's see again. This is
from Digitalmusicnews dot com. Los Lobos sues Sony Music and
Sony Pictures in two separate lawsuits alleging non payment of
royalties for songs featured in the films LaBamba and Desperado.
Speaker 3: Oh that's right, Okay.
Speaker 1: Desperado with Antonio Benderas. That's a that's forgot about that.
That's an underrated movie. That's a really good movie.
Speaker 2: I haven't watched that in a long time.
Speaker 3: Actually, yeah, that's really good.
Speaker 1: Los Angeles band Los Lobos issuing Sony Music and Sony
Pictures for two separate instances, alleging the company underpaid streaming
royalties for the group's recordings used in the nineteen eighty
seven Richievallens biopic LaBamba and the nineteen to ninety five
Antonio Banderas Western film Desperado. According to the lawsuit, which
the band initially filed in California state court before Sony
filed to move in to New York federal court, Sony
owes a combined total of at least one point five
million dollars in contractual damages. In both instances, Los Lobos
accuses Sony of failing to pay royalties for the streaming
use of their recordings in these two films in any
country outside the US, and Canada.
Speaker 2: Okay, now, I get it.
Speaker 1: Specifically, the suit against Sony Music Entertainment focuses on unpaid
royalties for the song. I don't, uh, Kencion.
Speaker 2: I feel like I'm going to murder it if I
try to say.
Speaker 3: It, Kencion del Mariachi.
Speaker 2: You're probably closer than I would have said.
Speaker 1: Maybe featured in the movie Desperado. Los Lobos alleges that
neither Sony nor its imprint Milan Records have paid any
streaming royalties globally for the track's use Sucker, despite its
recent surge and popularity as a war out anthem for
Mma fighter Ilia l Mattador, Topouria.
Speaker 2: Dopouria that explains the resurgence.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, in that instance, the band is seeking at
least half a million dollars for alleged breach of contract
and requests a formal accounting of damages owed.
Speaker 3: I need to gulp of my water here.
Speaker 2: I didn't think about those coming back for streaming, like
when you first brought it up. I'm like, yeah, but
this was back in the eighties, right.
Speaker 3: The thing is too.
Speaker 2: Now, I didn't think about the streaming aspect. Well.
Speaker 1: The thing is, when you think about in the music industry.
When you think about how complicated it gets in terms
of paying royalties for publishing and all of it, performance royalties,
mechanical royalties, everything that goes into it. Then take that
and compound it with how complicated it gets and how
complicated it's always gotten. You talk about soundtracks for films,
then it gets a whole new level of complicated and
and that seems to have reared its head here. So
the lawsuit says, quote, despite the specific knowledge that the
popularity of the recording was spiking and reaching new audiences,
Sony and its affiliate imprint Milan still paid nothing nothing
to Los Lobos for streaming and continues to pay nothing
for streaming anywhere in the world for any time period.
Speaker 2: Because some people lead by example. Yeah, we're just going
to keep using it. We're gonna ignore you.
Speaker 3: Yep. I hate that.
Speaker 2: It's not like they they didn't give them anything, nothing
that one dime.
Speaker 3: That's what they claim.
Speaker 1: Wrong.
Speaker 2: You would have this music without the artists.
Speaker 3: Right, says Los Lobos.
Speaker 1: Also sued Sony Pictures and its subsidiary, Columbia Pictures for
allegedly unpaid royalties stemy from the LaBamba soundtrack which features
several Los Lobos covers, including Richie Vallen's LaBamba. Their version
spent several weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot
one hundred. I think Los Lobos did the entire soundtrack.
Speaker 3: If I'm not mistaken, I thought they did. Yeah, I
think that's I'm I'm.
Speaker 2: Not surprised at all by any of this. No, not
one iota.
Speaker 3: Nope, none of this is surprising. Nope.
Speaker 2: And you know what also complicates a lot of this too,
is that each individual state has its own laws as
far as like right of succession, somebody passes away who
owns it right. So it gets even more convoluted when
you look at the fact that not only is it
so grotesquely full of crazy contracts whatever federal laws, but
each individual state laws and where it signed matters.
Speaker 3: That is true, That is true.
Speaker 2: It kills me. The Lobama was so long ago that
they'd have to fight for that money.
Speaker 3: It doesn't surprise me, though.
Speaker 2: It kills me. I didn't say surprised, right, as if
it kills me, it's like a classic based on the
true story.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: Ah, that's just that's just so wrong. It's always the artist.
It's always the artist that's getting ripped off by these companies.
Speaker 3: Yeah, well they're the ones who get paid last.
Speaker 2: Which is so wrong. They should be the ones paid first.
Speaker 3: You know, they're they're at the end of the they're
at the end of the food chain.
Speaker 2: H