Sting’s long-running financial dispute with his former The Police bandmates has taken another turn, with guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland arguing they are still owed millions of dollars—despite a recent six-figure payment.
According to the BBC, newly filed court documents in London’s High Court reveal that Summers and Copeland received more than $800,000 after launching legal proceedings last year, with filings disclosing a payment of roughly $870,000. The musicians, however, contend that the payment only addresses part of what they say is a much larger, long-standing underpayment tied to The Police’s catalog.
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At the heart of the dispute is how royalties should be handled in the streaming era. Summers and Copeland argue that they are entitled to a share of income generated from downloads and streaming platforms, not just traditional physical formats like vinyl and CDs. Their legal team is seeking permission to expand the case, asserting that the language of earlier agreements must be interpreted in light of dramatic changes in the music industry, where streaming has largely replaced physical sales.
While Sting wrote the majority of The Police’s biggest hits—including “Roxanne” and “Every Breath You Take”—his former bandmates maintain that the group entered an agreement in 1977 to share certain publishing income. Under that arrangement, when one member earned publishing revenue for a song, a percentage—typically around 15%—would be shared with the other two as an “arrangers’ fee,” acknowledging their musical contributions.
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Summers and Copeland say that agreement was later formalized and revised multiple times over the decades, and that it should apply to modern revenue streams. They claim they are collectively owed more than $2 million, noting that the recent payment did not include interest for what they describe as historic underpayment.
Sting disputes that interpretation. His lawyers argue that streaming income should be classified as “public performance” rather than a sale, and therefore falls outside the scope of royalty-sharing provisions outlined in the band’s later agreements. They also contend that a 2016 agreement limits royalty payments to income derived from the manufacture of records and prevents further claims over past or future royalties.
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The legal filings underscore the famously strained relationship between the trio, whose creative tensions contributed to The Police’s breakup in 1984. Although they briefly set aside their differences for a hugely successful reunion tour in the late 2000s, the current dispute suggests that unresolved business matters remain.
The case also arrives against the backdrop of Sting’s 2022 deal selling his songwriting catalog—covering both his solo work and songs written for The Police—to Universal Music Group, a transaction estimated to be worth around $200 million. Summers and Copeland argue that the scale and longevity of streaming revenues make it essential to revisit how those earnings are divided.
A preliminary hearing is underway, and while no band members were present in court, the outcome could have broader implications for how legacy band agreements are interpreted in the streaming age.
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