“They are owed millions”: Sting sued by Police bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland over lost Every Breath You Take royalties
The Police frontman Sting is reportedly being sued by his former bandmates, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland, over lost royalties from their biggest hit, Every Breath You Take.
The news is being reported by The Sun, while People has found documents relating to the suit in the London High Court’s database, pertaining to “general commercial contracts and arrangements”.
READ MORE: “It’s happened before, people thought it was a patriotic ditty to wave the flag”: John Fogerty explains why Trump has misunderstood Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Fortunate Son
According to a source, per The Sun, Summers and Copeland are claiming “substantial damages”, saying “they are owed millions in lost royalties”.
The dispute has been ongoing for some time, according to the source. “Lawyers tried repeatedly to reach an out-of-court settlement but hit a stalemate,” they say. “Andy and Stewart decided there was no alternative than court, so [they] pressed the button.”
Sting is named as a defendant in the suit under his real name Gordon Matthew Sumner, as well as his publishing firm, Magnetic Publishing Limited.
According to the Daily Mail, Sting earns around £550,000 per year in royalties from Every Breath You Take alone. And per Guitar World, PRS For Music records state Sting is the sole composer and author of the song.
Formed in 1977, The Police later split in 1984 – before reuniting several times in later years – having sold over 75 million records worldwide. Every Breath You Take is by far their biggest hit, and was the best-selling single of 1983, and fifth best-selling single of the ‘80s overall.
Andy Summers hinted at legal action against Sting back in 2023 over royalties for Every Breath You Take, saying of his contributions to the track: “That song was going in the trash until I played on it.” He later said, apparently of forthcoming legal action: “Watch the press. Let’s see what happens in the next year.”
Also in 2023, Summers admitted he found Every Breath You Take corny at first, saying it felt “a million miles from The Police”.
The post “They are owed millions”: Sting sued by Police bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland over lost Every Breath You Take royalties appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
