Sting’s ex-bandmates in the Police, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland, have taken the singer and bassist to court, claiming he has not paid them properly for the “digital exploitation” of the band’s hits, per The New York Times.
On the contrary, Sting’s lawyers argue that the frontman, born Gordon Sumner, might have “substantially overpaid” Summers and Copeland, depending on the interpretation of a 2016 agreement.
Copeland and Summers argue in their lawsuit that Sting owes them “arranger’s fees” exceeding $2 million for the “digital exploitation” of the Police’s back catalog. Sting’s legal team fired back by saying all three musicians signed an agreement in 2016 to move past previous disputes about such “arranger’s fees,” and that Copeland and Summers are now trying to reinterpret that agreement.
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How Did the Police Previously Agree to Share Songwriting Income?
Copeland and Summers allege that in 1977, all three band members made a verbal agreement to share 15 percent of publishing income from any Police song they wrote with the rest of the band (not including money from sheet music sales or covers).
Court documents say this agreement was formalized in 1981 and revised in 1997, when Copeland and Summers inquired about the original contract with the Police’s lawyer because they believed they had been underpaid “for a considerable period.” Sting has remained steadfast in his insistence that he’s paid his ex-bandmates fairly over the years.
The Police Hit That Remains Andy Summers’ Biggest Point of Contention
Sting claims sole songwriting credit on all of the Police’s biggest hits, which has proven an ongoing point of contention among the ex-bandmates. Summers has long claimed he deserves a co-writing credit on the chart-topping “Every Breath You Take,” insisting that the song “was going in the trash until I played on it.”
The 1983 hit has generated more than 2.8 billion Spotify streams, and in 2019 BMI named it the Most Performed Song in its catalog of over 14 million works. As the sole credited songwriter, Sting earns roughly three-quarters of a million dollars a year in royalties from “Every Breath You Take.”
READ MORE: The Police’s ‘Synchronicity’: The Story Behind Every Song
The Police have not worked together since the conclusion of their wildly successful 2007-2008 reunion tour. However, Sting and Summers reunited this summer to perform on a new version of the Police’s 1983 song “Murder by Numbers” led by jazz bassist and composer Christian McBride.
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They made only handful of records, but all offer plenty of rewards.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
