Every penny you take: Sting pays more than £500k to former bandmates in The Police as royalties row reaches High Court
The case hinges on 'arranges fees' Sting is said to owe guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland
Sting has paid more than half a million pounds to his former bandmates in The Police since facing legal action over unpaid royalties, the High Court has been told.
Listen to this article
The bassist, along with his company Magnetic Publishing, are said to owe more than 2 million US dollars (£1.49 million) in "arranger's fees" to drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andrew Summers.
Their case hinges on the interpretation of various agreements made between the band's formation in the late 1970s and 2016.
Read More: Sting denounces Ukraine war and warns of threats to democracy
Robert Howe KC, for Sting, said in written submissions for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday that the musicians cannot agree on how the phrases "mechanical income" and "public performance fees" apply to streaming, which continues to generate significant income.
He said Sting asserts that an arrangement where a songwriter would give 15 per cent of publishing income to the other two musicians as arranger's fees do not apply to streaming, which is contested by the other bandmates.
The barrister also said that since the legal action began in late 2024, Sting has paid more than 800,000 US dollars (£595,000) in "certain admitted historic underpayments".
Sting, whose real name is Gordon Sumner, is disputing the wider legal claim, arguing that the arranger's fees should only apply to physical products such as vinyl and cassettes.
Mr Howe said the court should pay most attention to a "professionally drafted" agreement in 2016, which he said states that the money is owed only on mechanical income "from the manufacture of records".
Ian Mill KC, for Mr Copeland and Mr Summers, as well as their companies Megalo Music, Kent Foundation Laboratories and Kinetic Kollections, said the agreements date back to 1977.
He said the 15 per cent figure was agreed between the band then, which was later formalised in written contracts.
In written submissions, the barrister said the issue for the upcoming trial is "whether the parties have accounted to each other for arranger's fees correctly in accordance with the terms of the 2016 settlement agreement".
In previous court documents filed in December 2024, Mr Mill said Sting's former bandmates are owed more than 2 million US dollars because arranger's fees had not been paid from money generated through streaming.
He also said that Mr Copeland and Mr Summers understand the 2016 agreement means they are entitled to a share of money "from all publishing income derived from all manner of commercial exploitation".
The hearing, before Mr Justice Bright, is due to conclude on Thursday, with the trial expected at a later date.