In a surprising turn of events, Sting has disbursed over half a million pounds to his fellow band members from The Police, acknowledging past discrepancies in royalty payments. According to recent court filings in London's High Court, the iconic musician's legal team revealed that Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland received a substantial sum exceeding $800,000 after they initiated legal action last year.
The dispute centers around royalties from some of the band's most famous tracks, including the timeless classics "Roxanne" and "Every Breath You Take." Summers and Copeland argue that they are entitled to more than $2 million (approximately £1.5 million) from Sting and his publishing entity. However, Sting contests this claim, asserting that his bandmates do not have rights to a share of his earnings derived from streaming services and digital downloads.
Although Summers and Copeland were not credited as songwriters on the majority of The Police’s hits, they maintain that there was an oral agreement established in 1977 to share income, which was later formalized through written contracts. This arrangement recognized that while Sting served as the primary songwriter, his bandmates contributed significantly to the music—such as the memorable guitar riff crafted by Summers in "Every Breath You Take."
This agreement stipulated that whenever any member earned publishing income from a song they had contributed to, they would allocate a percentage—typically 15%—to the other two members, referred to as an arrangers' fee.
Last year, Summers and Copeland took legal action against Sting, alleging that he had been withholding these payments. As the preliminary hearing opened for two days, none of the band members attended. However, the lawyers representing the guitarist Summers and drummer Copeland are now seeking the court's permission to introduce new arguments claiming they are owed funds from all streaming and download revenues based on their earlier agreements established in 1997 and 2016.
They contend that the terminology in those agreements should be interpreted considering the evolution of the music industry, where streaming has largely supplanted traditional sales of vinyl, CDs, and cassettes. In their court documents, they acknowledged receipt of a recent payment from Sting and his publishing company, reporting a total of $870,000 (£647,000), but pointed out that no interest had been added to compensate for the "historical underpayment."
On the other hand, Sting’s legal representatives argue that he is under no obligation to pay royalties to his former bandmates when The Police's music is streamed on platforms like Spotify, asserting that this constitutes "public performance" instead of a sale. They further argue that the agreements made in 2016 limit them to royalties from physical record sales, hence excluding any streaming or digital sale revenue.
Moreover, they have requested that the musicians’ attempt to amend their claims be dismissed, stating that it lacks a viable chance of success. The Police, formed in 1977, quickly rose to prominence as one of the UK's most successful bands, known for their unique blend of rock and reggae influences, producing chart-topping hits such as "Message in a Bottle," "Walking on the Moon," and "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic."
Their single "Every Breath You Take" reached number one on the US charts, taken from their fifth album "Synchronicity" in 1983. This track eventually became renowned as the most-played radio song ever and was notably sampled in P Diddy and Faith Evans' hit "I'll Be Missing You" in 1997.
Despite their remarkable success, The Police disbanded in 1984 amid personal tensions and artistic differences. Copeland later described the recording sessions for "Synchronicity" as "very dark," revealing that the band members often clashed intensely during that time. Surprisingly, they reunited in 2007 to perform at the Grammy Awards and embarked on a highly successful world tour, with tickets for the UK leg selling out in just half an hour. However, they disbanded once more after concluding their final show.
In a significant move, in 2022, Sting sold the rights to his songwriting catalog to Universal Music Group, which included both his solo works and compositions for The Police. This lucrative deal was estimated to be valued at around $200 million.
