Andy Summers And Stewart Copeland Sue Sting Over Millions In Unpaid Royalties

[Lobo]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/entertainment ... 8c24&ei=20

Sting is being sued for millions of pounds over missing royalties by his former bandmates from The Police.

Sting, real name Gordon Matthew Sumner, 73, is now involved in another legal battle, as he is handed a High Court writ from guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland.

The former band members are suing the frontman for millions, claiming ‘substantial’ damages.

A source detailed to The Sun: ‘This has been coming for quite some time.

‘Lawyers tried repeatedly to reach an out-of-court settlement but hit a stalemate.

‘Andy and Stewart decided there was no alternative than court, so pressed the button. They say they are owed millions in lost royalties.’

London’s High Court has listed the legal issue under ‘general commercial contracts and arrangements’ with Sting appearing under his real name as a defendant, and his company Magnetic Publishing Limited, also listed as a defendant.

The rock band formed in London in 1977 and consisted of Sting, Summers, and Copeland.

Over the years, the group has broken up and reformed, first parting ways in 1984 and most recently reuniting in 2008.

After their initial separation, Sting went on to have a successful solo career, releasing 15 albums between 1985 and 2021, many of which have gone platinum.

His most famous solo songs include Desert Rose, Fields of Gold, and Englishman in New York.

His most successful songs remain the ones he wrote for The Police’s five albums. He was the only writer for their most successful tracks (including Roxanne, Message in a Bottle, Don’t Stand So Close to Me, and Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic ), meaning he has collected the royalties for the past few decades.

Every Breath You Take was the best-selling single of 1983 and the fifth best-selling of the decade, with reports that Sting earns £550,000 a year in royalties.

A spokesperson for Sting denied to The Sun that the legal battle was regarding the hit track, Every Breath You Take.

Sting’s former bandmates aren’t the only ones to have had royalty issues with the singer. Sean Diddy Combs still pays Sting a large sum of money following a legal battle about royalties.

Combs famously sampled the track on his single, I’ll Be Missing You, with Faith Evans, which was released in 1997 – but didn’t ask for permission first, meaning the rocker has earned a fortune in royalties.

During an appearance on The Breakfast Club, Sting was questioned about the sample and explained that he gets $2,000 a day for the rest of the producer’s life. Diddy then rebutted, claiming he actually paid $5,000 a day.

[Zabooka]

Every cent you make,
Every check you take,
Every contract you break,
Every deal you make
We’ll be suing you

—-

Lawsuit in a bottle

—-

We Sue Sue Sue, We Want Want Want
All the cash you owe to us

—-

Every Little Thing Sting Does is Liable

[kytepunches]

Sting seems like a real pretentious twat, so I’m not surprised he’d take credit for every success the Police had.

[HottKarl777]

Andy should get some royalties for Every Breath You Take, period. Even 5% would be substantial.

[LurkingAtWork]

I don't get it, they want money for songs they didn't write?

Sting sucks but that makes no sense. They were probably hoping he'd just settle and he called their bluff. Now they have no choice but to get wrecked in court.

[NineteenEightyFour]

Yeah, those two are well-off because of being in that band where Sting wrote ALL the hits. To do this at their age is ridiculous.

[tooth]

The Police, from the get go, always struck me both as musicians & as music businessmen, equally. It surprises me that a contract, royalty dispute situation would come this far into their career.

[NeonKnite]

Yeah, those two are well-off because of being in that band where Sting wrote ALL the hits. To do this at their age is ridiculous.

I couldn't give two shits about anything Sting did after The Police. Summers and Copeland brought a lot to the table and those songs don't sound the same without those guys, especially Copeland who is a master.

Another situations where the whole is better than the sum of the parts.

[gtrjay]

Every cent you make,
Every check you take,
Every contract you break,
Every deal you make
We’ll be suing you

—-

Lawsuit in a bottle

—-

We Sue Sue Sue, We Want Want Want
All the cash you owe to us

—-

Every Little Thing Sting Does is Liable

You win the internet & sludge for the week!
Congrats!

[DangerZone]

Andy definitely should get some cash for the iconic guitar of “every breath.”
That’s the main thing Diddy sampled

[FreddyFender]

Summers gave an interview a few years ago where he raised the issue - they all felt the song wasn't working and it wasn't even going to make the album until he came up with the guitar part. So he felt he should have got some credit/royalties, because without his guitar part the song literally wouldn't have been released.

I think that's a solid argument - way better than ones wave heard from Lou Grahm and Sebastian Bach about songs they didn't write - but one that should have been negotiated before the album was ever released.

As you can hear on Sting's demo, the song was complete before the other guys ever gave it a listen, but of course it isn't remotely as good without that guitar line.

You can hear the demo here: https://youtu.be/UAsjsDalAio?si=mMuE5gWdCSt4U-PK

[ParaDime77]

The last Police tour did $300 million some years ago and these toxic assholes are still at it for even more. When do you reach a point in your life when enough is enough and you only want peace and quiet?

[Lobo]

Sting sold his entire songwriting catalogue to Universal in 2022 for a rumoured $250 million. His solo work and his Police songs.

From what I gather, all the Police albums were released under the Universal banner. Maybe Summers and Copeland ended up being privy to some shenanigans regarding that deal as they had been Universal artists in the past. Maybe the %'s weren't matching up in some sort of weird way?

This whole thing may have something to do with that sale as it was only three years ago. The timing seems to match up. They said in the story that this has been coming for awhile.

Maybe The Police could tour with The Beach Boys and battle it out for bands that hated each other most.

[NeonKnite]

As you can hear on Sting's demo, the song was complete before the other guys ever gave it a listen, but of course it isn't remotely as good without that guitar line.

You can hear the demo here: https://youtu.be/UAsjsDalAio?si=mMuE5gWdCSt4U-PK

Yea, sounds similar to a lot of his shitty solo songs.

[Ziggy Sawdust]

So he came up with a guitar part, on a formed song. They deserve performance royalties, nothing more. And they are about to kick the bucket anyways.

[grishnak boss]

Summers gave an interview a few years ago where he raised the issue - they all felt the song wasn't working and it wasn't even going to make the album until he came up with the guitar part. So he felt he should have got some credit/royalties, because without his guitar part the song literally wouldn't have been released.

I think that's a solid argument - way better than ones wave heard from Lou Grahm and Sebastian Bach about songs they didn't write - but one that should have been negotiated before the album was ever released.

As you can hear on Sting's demo, the song was complete before the other guys ever gave it a listen, but of course it isn't remotely as good without that guitar line.

You can hear the demo here: https://youtu.be/UAsjsDalAio?si=mMuE5gWdCSt4U-PK

wow that's fucking horrible

[grishnak boss]

So he came up with a guitar part, on a formed song. They deserve performance royalties, nothing more. And they are about to kick the bucket anyways.

formed song? roflmfao

shut the fuck up, captain retard, you have no idea about music

[FreddyFender]

So he came up with a guitar part, on a formed song. They deserve performance royalties, nothing more. And they are about to kick the bucket anyways.

formed song? roflmfao

shut the fuck up, captain retard, you have no idea about music

A song with the lyrics, melody, and changes finished is a fully formed song. Legally and musically speaking.

Writing a cool guitar riff or intricate solo or bass line doesn't impact how much publishing a musician gets - they're entitled to 0%, if they didn't write the lyrics/melody/harmonic changes.

You may be able to negotiate a piece of the publishing if the songwriter agrees that your contribution is good enough to warrant giving you a cut, but they're not obligated to.

Which is why this lawsuit is stupid - Summers wasn't some kid who didn't understand publishing being taken advantage of, he was the guitarist for the biggest band in the fuckin' world. If he felt like he should have got a cut of the publishing, he should have negotiated that 40 years ago.

[windycitycane]

Yeah, those two are well-off because of being in that band where Sting wrote ALL the hits. To do this at their age is ridiculous.

I couldn't give two shits about anything Sting did after The Police. Summers and Copeland brought a lot to the table and those songs don't sound the same without those guys, especially Copeland who is a master.

Another situations where the whole is better than the sum of the parts.

Exactly! No other guitarist or drummer on the planet could have made those albums like they did. I can’t believe they didn’t get more writing credits. Summers ‘ guitar part on Every Breath You Take is worth at least 30%!

Copeland is a master drummer - deserves more as well.

No way Sting wrote those songs alone.

[HottKarl777]

Some of you guys aren't getting it. Andy wrote an essential musical part. He WROTE it. Sting fucking knows it that greedy c***. Yes the chord changes were already there but that was just a standard I/ vi/ IV/ V change that had been used by literally every 50s songwriter. Andy absolutely contributed to the music by arpeggiating the chords in a very brilliant way that gave the song an unbelievable hook. No ifs, ands or buts.

You dickheads saying he should leave millions on the table are out of your fucking minds. Go hang out with LAGlamrocker and fry your brains in the sun.

[LurkingAtWork]

You people are hilarious. "He deserves publishing because he's a great drummer"

[Ralph2]

Those 2 straight up deserve nothing and their attorneys and CPA's should be canned.

It really took 40 years to realize you weren't being paid on one of the biggest hits ever?

Totally find this story incredible.

Sounds like someone doesn't know how to read an ASCAP or BMI report.

[FreddyFender]

Some of you guys aren't getting it. Andy wrote an essential musical part. He WROTE it. Sting fucking knows it that greedy c***. Yes the chord changes were already there but that was just a standard I/ vi/ IV/ V change that had been used by literally every 50s songwriter. Andy absolutely contributed to the music by arpeggiating the chords in a very brilliant way that gave the song an unbelievable hook. No ifs, ands or buts.

You dickheads saying he should leave millions on the table are out of your fucking minds. Go hang out with LAGlamrocker and fry your brains in the sun.

That's not how it works.

That's how you wish it worked.

[GoodJudge]

As Stewart said about Sting many decades ago:

[CrankerBait]

I wonder how the money was split for their reunion tour?

[NeonKnite]

Those 2 straight up deserve nothing and their attorneys and CPA's should be canned.

It really took 40 years to realize you weren't being paid on one of the biggest hits ever?

Totally find this story incredible.

It's very likely they had no idea how much money this song was generating. It's not exactly something that Sting was going to share with them and not something they could easily get access to unless someone in the know informed them, but more likely they needed to get lawyers involved to gain access to this information.

It's quite possible these details became more evident once Sting sold his catalog for $300 million.

Sounds like someone doesn't know how to read an ASCAP or BMI report.

Just because a system is in place doesn't mean you shouldn't challenge it. If Sting weren't a complete asshole, he'd have acknowledged how important Summers' contribution was to the song and given him a credit / percentage.

There ARE bands who split everything evenly and performers who give players songwriting credit for important contributions. Let's not act like this doesn't happen, because it does.

Only a fucking fool would look at The Police and Sting's solo career and come to the conclusion that Summers and Copeland weren't hugely important to the music they created together.

[Wiseacre]

SO MANY people have absolutely zero idea what constitutes “writing a song”. They don’t know the difference between writing and arranging and it is pretty clearly spelled out in the laws of copyright.

A songwriter CAN CHOOSE to pay a percent if they feel an arrangement or part of it lends enough to the identity of the song, but it is a GIFT.

A song = chord progression (or possibly “riffs” if they define the song depending on the musical style), melody and words/lyrics (if applicable).

ANYTHING ELSE is the “arrangement” including bass lines, guitar parts, piano, string, drum parts, guitar solos, etc. which is why you can perform a “song” in a hundred different styles with an infinite variations on the arrangement.

Invariably the people who cry about not getting proper “writing credit” are never the people actually “writing the songs”.

Just because some bands decide to share credit equally doesn’t mean shit. That usually happens when they want to keep the peace and no money is being made. It’s a mistake unless you are a band that literally jams out the song and melodies together which most band don’t do.

A band is paid twice for a song, mechanical royalties that go to everyone equally (unless determined otherwise) based on each “sale” of the song, album, whatever and a separate songwriter royalty which goes to the writer (or copyright owner). No one gets “screwed” if a song is a big hit except the writer dumb enough to share the writing credit with people who didn’t actually “write” it.

This is how bands like KISS and others took songs from other people, slapped their names on them as co-writers (whether they wrote anything or not) and shared the money.

[Wiseacre]

Some of you guys aren't getting it. Andy wrote an essential musical part. He WROTE it. Sting fucking knows it that greedy c***. Yes the chord changes were already there but that was just a standard I/ vi/ IV/ V change that had been used by literally every 50s songwriter. Andy absolutely contributed to the music by arpeggiating the chords in a very brilliant way that gave the song an unbelievable hook. No ifs, ands or buts.

You dickheads saying he should leave millions on the table are out of your fucking minds. Go hang out with LAGlamrocker and fry your brains in the sun.

Wrong, wrong, a million times wrong. I don’t care how many different people used the progression over the years, it is the COMBINATION of the progression, melody and words that is “writing” otherwise every do-wop or blues song would be owned by one guy. You can totally remove the guitar “part” and still play and sing “the song”.

Take a look at some Pink Floyd albums some time. written by Waters, Waters, Waters…even though Dave obviously wrote most of the guitar “parts” they are still the “arrangement”, not “the song”.

Hunk of how iconic the intro of “Hey You” is…but it’s still just Emadd9 to Dm and Roger wrote that along with the melodies and the words. Dave gets royalties for playing on it and his arrangement by way of mechanical royalties. Anyone in the world would play that song WITHOUT that picking patterns and it would still 100% be the same song. Thus, the song credit reads “Waters” like most of their songs unless Dave contributed an actual progression or lyrics/melody. If you listen to the Wall demos you’ll see that the vast majority of the “songs” were absolutely written by Roger before the band heard a note of it. Yes, the other members added a lot to the finished arrangements, but again that’s what the mechanical royalties are for. ANY of those songs could be performed with only acoustic guitar, piano or even acappella, etc with ZERO input from the other guys that contributed to the final recordings. Take a look at the writing credits…

[Ziggy Sawdust]

So he came up with a guitar part, on a formed song. They deserve performance royalties, nothing more. And they are about to kick the bucket anyways.

formed song? roflmfao

shut the fuck up, captain retard, you have no idea about music

I’ve been called worse by better, your mother doesn’t even love you. Stupid little prick.

[MOON]

So he came up with a guitar part, on a formed song. They deserve performance royalties, nothing more. And they are about to kick the bucket anyways.

That's my thought too. Album came out 42/43 yrs ago. On the credits was Sting.. .it must have been agreed upon at the time.