Sting has paid his former police bandmates – guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland – over $800,000 (as reported by the BBC), after the two launched legal proceedings alleging that they were underpaid royalties.
The case, which was launched last year against Sting and his publishing company, claimed that the pair were owed between $2 million and $10.75 million in royalties for the Police's repertoire of hit songs.
At a hearing on Wednesday in London's High Court, lawyers even claimed that this figure could rise above the $10.75 million initially quoted. They further commented that the “historic underpayment” did not include interest.
None of the Police members were present in court, but Summers and Copeland's legal team argued that agreements made in 1997 and 2016 should reflect the times, and therefore need to be reinterpreted and include money made from streaming and downloads.
From their end, Sting's lawyers have continued to allege that Summers and Copeland are not owed royalties from streaming as this should be categorized as “public performance” instead of a sale, and that the 2016 agreement only pays royalties "from the manufacture of records.”
Summers and Copeland did not receive any writing credits on most of the Police's core hits. However, they're now arguing that, back in 1977, the group entered an “oral agreement” to share income.
This was allegedly later formalized in written contracts, which reportedly state that, although Sting is the chief songwriter, both Summers and Copeland made crucial contributions that led to the Police's success, such as Summers' Every Breath You Take guitar riff.
As a result, the trio reputedly agreed that, whenever they would receive income from publishing, they would share a percentage – usually 15% – with the other two, as an “arrangers' fee.” Summers and Copeland insist that Sting has withheld a considerable amount of these payments.
The hearing is due to conclude today, with a trial expected at a later date.
For context, it's worth noting that Sting reportedly earns around $740,000 (£550,000) in royalties each year from Every Breath You Take alone. Moreover, in 2022, Sting sold the rights to his songwriting catalog – covering both his solo work and that of the Police – to Universal Music Group for a fee north of $300 million.
