Summary
Sting has paid more than £500,000 to his former bandmates from The Police in a royalties dispute. Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland claim they are owed more money from streaming sales, while Sting argues against this. The disagreement revolves around how royalties should be divided for song contributions and new music sales formats like streaming.
Key Facts
- Sting paid over $800,000 (about £647,000) to his former bandmates in royalties.
- Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland are disputing additional payments they claim are owed.
- The disagreement is about royalties for The Police's songs, including "Roxanne" and "Every Breath You Take."
- Summers and Copeland argue for royalty payments on streaming and downloads, saying agreements covered these too.
- Sting claims past agreements only apply to physical record sales, not digital formats.
- A court hearing started to address the dispute and whether more arguments can be added.
- The Police originally formed in 1977 and became a successful band with several hits.
- They last reunited in 2008 for a world tour before splitting up again.
