Sting Pays The Police £600k in Royalties Battle

The long-simmering tensions between the members of The Police have moved from the rehearsal room to the High Court in London. In a significant development in January 2026, it was revealed that Sting (Gordon Sumner) has paid over £595,000 ($800,000) to his former bandmates, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland, following a lawsuit over unpaid digital royalties.

While the payment marks a major admission of "historic underpayments," the legal battle is far from over. The dispute centers on whether the two musicians are entitled to a share of the massive profits generated by streaming and digital downloads—a revenue stream that didn't exist when the band first topped the charts in the late 1970s.

The "Arranger's Fee" Dispute

The core of the conflict lies in a decades-old "oral agreement" made in 1977. While Sting wrote the vast majority of the band’s hits—including "Roxanne," "Message in a Bottle," and "Every Breath You Take"—the trio allegedly agreed that Summers and Copeland would receive an "arranger's fee" of 15% of the publishing income.

This fee was meant to acknowledge the creative contributions the two made to the final sound of the records. A prime example often cited by fans and musicologists is Andy Summers’ iconic, arpeggiated guitar riff on "Every Breath You Take," which many argue turned a "standard" demo into the most-played song in radio history.

The Streaming Standoff

Sting’s legal team, led by Robert Howe KC, argued at a preliminary hearing on January 14, 2026, that the 15% arrangement was only intended for "mechanical income"—essentially the physical manufacture of records, tapes, and CDs. They contend that streaming should be classified as a "public performance" rather than a sale, which would technically exempt it from the original arranger’s fee agreement.

However, lawyers for Copeland and Summers, representing their companies Megalo Music and Kinetic Kollections, argue that the spirit of their 2016 settlement agreement was to share in "all manner of commercial exploitation." They claim that since streaming has effectively replaced physical sales, the 15% should apply to the digital era.

A Record-Breaking Stake

The financial stakes are astronomical. Estimates suggest that "Every Breath You Take" alone generates roughly £550,000 a year in royalties for Sting. Having sold his entire songwriting catalog to Universal Music Group for an estimated $300 million (£222m) in 2022, the question of how that lump sum and ongoing digital revenue are distributed has become a multimillion-pound issue.

The £595,000 already paid by Sting is described by his team as an "admitted historic underpayment" that came to light during the legal proceedings. Yet, the plaintiffs are seeking significantly more—estimated between £2 million and £8 million—plus interest, which they claim has been withheld for years.

What’s Next?

As of late January 2026, the High Court has concluded its preliminary hearings. While none of the three legends appeared in court personally, their legal representatives have set the stage for a full trial later this year.

For the music industry, the case is being watched as a landmark precedent. If the court rules in favor of Summers and Copeland, it could open the door for hundreds of other heritage acts to sue their primary songwriters for a piece of the "streaming pie" based on old, pre-digital agreements.

Source - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn42lp1135vo

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