Sting Settles Royalty Dispute with Former Police Bandmates

Sting has paid his former bandmates from The Police, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, more than $800,000 (£647,000) after they filed a lawsuit over underpaid royalties. The dispute revolves around the sharing of income from hits like ‘Roxanne’ and ‘Every Breath You Take.’ Although Sting was the primary songwriter and the others did not receive writing credits for most songs, the band had an oral agreement in 1977, later formalized in contracts, to share a percentage of publishing income—usually 15%—as an arrangers’ fee when one member received royalties. Summers and Copeland argue that they are owed additional payments from streaming and digital sales, reflecting changes in the music industry, while Sting’s legal team contends that the 2016 agreement only covers royalties from physical record sales. The preliminary hearing in London’s High Court is ongoing, with Summers and Copeland seeking permission to add these new arguments. The Police, formed in 1977, became one of the UK’s most successful bands with hits such as ‘Message in a Bottle’ and ‘Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.’ They split in 1984, briefly reunited in 2007 for a world tour, and Sting sold his songwriting catalog in 2022 to Universal Music Group for an estimated $200 million.