The BBC has reported today that former members of rock band The Police have had a development in proceedings over songwriting credits, with claims concerning songs written nearly 50 years ago. Frontman Sting has been caught in a legal battle with his former partners about overdue royalties, with court documents showing he made payments in excess of £500,000.

Singer and bassist Sting, whose real name is Gordon Sumner, formed The Police in London in 1977 with American drummer Stewart Copeland. The final line-up of the band was completed with guitarist Andy Summers joining. They performed as a three-piece for their full catalogue of 5 studio albums, before going on hiatus in 1984, and fully splitting in 1986. Citing personal differences for the rift, Summers and Copeland went on to have successes in other pursuits, while Sting went on to become a British icon through his solo works.

As the lead songwriter for The Police, Sting took his gifts and went on to win masses of accolades, including three BRIT Awards, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and a CBE from Queen Elizabeth II. In addition, he pursued acting roles, appearing in films such as David Lynch’s ‘Dune’ adaptation, and Guy Ritchie’s ‘Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels’.

It is Sting’s prolific talent as a songwriter and composer that has led to the ongoing legal discourse. Since starting their careers together in 1977 and writing their first singles, almost everything was credited solely to Sting. 1978 debut album ‘Outlandos d’Amour’, which yielded hit ‘Roxanne’ only lists Summers and Copeland as co-writers on one song apiece. Later standouts like 1983’s ‘Every Breath You Take’, which was number one in multiple countries, does not list Summers as a writer, despite him claiming to have composed the guitar parts for it.

To ensure fairness, the three of them made a verbal agreement in 1977 to share earnings from their music, but this was not made legally binding until revised contracts later in their careers. The agreement dictated that whenever one member received royalties from a song they had written, they would give each of the other two members 15% of the income on average. This deal typically resulted in Sting giving a share to Summers and Copeland, who were reliant on him to pay up.

In September 2025, both Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers began legal proceedings against Sting to reclaim lost royalties across all their music from 1977 to 1984. In the claim, Sting is alleged to owe money earned through public plays, music streaming and digital sales, but his legal team contests this with the assertion that the band’s agreement only covered physical sales. The band made a new compromise in 2016 on how to handle payments, with a consensus that the three of them would not pursue legal recompense for any past or future issues. The team representing Copeland and Summers state that due to the evolution of streaming and music consumption, they are entitled to a bigger cut than they’ve received.

The initial lawsuit set out to recover estimated losses of £1.5 million, but according to court papers seen today, Sting and his representatives have paid $870,000 (£647,000). With the second day of the preliminary hearing taking place tomorrow, neither side seems to be ceding ground. The side of Copeland and Summers are disappointed that the recent payment doesn’t cover what they call “historic underpayment”, while Sting’s lawyers continue to argue that streaming plays do not count for their existing arrangements.

The two shows will be part of the singer’s ‘Sting 3.0 World Tour’, which has seen Sting perform to crowds across Europe and North America this year and will continue well into next year as the singer will perform to thousands of fans across Latin America, Europe and the UK. The first intimate show will take place on Friday October 24 at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, while the second will be held at the prestigious Eventim Apollo on October 26 in Hammersmith.

With a career spanning over five decades, Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, known professionally as Sting, has had a pivotal presence within the music industry due to his contributions to the genres of classic rock and new wave. He most notably acted as the frontman, bassist and main songwriter for prominent new wave band the Police between 1977 and 1986.  The band have been coined one of the pioneers of new wave, given the six Number 1 albums and 5 UK number 1 singles under their belt. Their tracks: ‘Message In A Bottle’, ‘Walking On The Moon’, ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’, ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’ and ‘Every Breath You Take’ all respectively claimed the Number 1 spot on the UK Official Singles Chart and decades later are still enjoyed by new and old fans alike. As a soloist, Sting has sonically experimented within the genres of rock, jazz, reggae and classical – which have been paramount to his evolution as an artist.

The now-73-year-old evidently has no foreseeable plans for slowing down on his busy schedule. Alongside, his world tour next year, he will be performing massive headline sets at Latitude Festival, Isle of Wight Festival, Tetbury Forest Live, Cannock Forest Live and Cardiff Depot Live.

This string of outdoor gigs will juxtapose the two more intimate shows taking place in London during the month of October. More and more artists are favouring intimate shows as they allow for a more exclusive and sincere experience between musicians and their fans. For instance, Iggy Pop recently announced a smaller show at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse while Rod Stewart unveiled his future tours will see him perform exclusively smaller shows due to his age and health. The dynamic of smaller shows allow artists to give stripped back renditions of their bigger shows. Sting’s upcoming intimate show will allow fans to emotionally connect with the singer whilst hearing his most prominent tracks.

The ‘Fields of Gold’ singer’s intimate shows in London went on presale to Sting.com members on December 3 at 9am GMT, while general sale will commence on December 6 at 10am GMT. Tickets are available to purchase here.

The three day festival, ‘Radio 2 in the park’, has been taking place since 2011, and each year creates quite a stir, with huge acts taking to the stage each year. Until 2023, it was held in London’s Hyde Park, however now takes place in a different location each year as part of the BBC’s Across the UK plan, with last year’s show taking place in Victoria Park in Leicester.

Recently, Zoe Ball announced the exciting weekend’s initial lineup on her show. So far, the organisers are catering for all audiences, with the main stage on the Saturday being graced by a performance of the iconic Sting, alongside performances from nostalgic artists such as: Sugababes, Snow Patrol, Kim Wilde, Travis, and Craig David.  The Sunday does not disappoint either, with Manic Street Preachers, Sister Sledge and Paul Heaton stirring up audiences. The performance from Sting on the Saturday is set to be like no other, as he takes his new dynamic trio to the stage to perform his own songs, alongside Police classics.

The people of Preston are also clearly excited for this event, with Chief Executive at Preston City Council, Adrian Phillips, telling the BBC, “We’re looking forward to welcoming thousands of people to Radio 2 in the Park, as well as our favourite presenters, who we love to listen to day in, day out. It promises to be the biggest live event Lancashire has seen in many years, and everyone can’t wait to enjoy what promises to be a fantastic weekend of live music in the city.”

Tickets will go on sale at 8:15am 4th June, with each festival day ticket sold separately, priced at £59, excluding ticket fees. Tickets for Radio 2’s pre-party, are priced at £30, also excluding ticket fees. All tickets can be accessed here.

When asked his thoughts on the recent advancements in AI platforms, the 76-year-old expressed his fear on it’s potential impact and how he thinks AI could change the music industry for the worse.

May told the magazine, “My major concern with it now is in the artistic area. I think by this time next year the landscape will be completely different. We won’t know which way is up. We won’t know what’s been created by AI and what’s been created by humans,”

He continued, “Everything is going to get very blurred and very confusing, and I think we might look back on 2023 as the last year when humans really dominated the music scene. I really think it could be that serious, and that doesn’t fill me with joy. It makes me feel apprehensive, and I’m preparing to feel sad about this.”

Whilst the English rock legend claims that “a lot of great stuff will come from AI, because it is going to increase the powers of humans to solve problems”, he is still apprehensive about the technological advance, stating “I think the whole thing is massively scary. It’s much more far-reaching than anybody realised — well, certainly than I realised”.

The notion of using computers to generate music is definitely not new, however, recent leaps in AI technology have expanded the possibilities of what computers can do in the music industry. For example, AI platforms such as ChatGPT are now able to replicate songwriting and music production to create entirely computer generated music, therefore eliminating the whole writing and recording process artists go through.

Brian May is not the first musician to share their thoughts on AI’s impact on the music industry, and he definitely won’t be the last.

Nick Cave revealed in his blog, The Red Hand Files, that he believes AI songwriting to be a “grotesque mockery of what it is to be human”, while Sting told the BBC that he isn’t impressed by AI, and songwriters will have to fight to protect “our human capital against AI”.

Some artists however, are seemingly big fans of the way technology is evolving in the music industry. For example, Canadian singer-songwriter Grimes is allowing fans to use her voice in AI generated songs, so long as they share the royalties with her.

I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice. Same deal as I would with any artist i collab with. Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings. pic.twitter.com/KIY60B5uqt

— Grimes (@Grimezsz) April 24, 2023

Brian May‘s conversation with Guitar Player magazine is set to feature in the October 2023 issue, however, you can read the interview online here.

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The upcoming concert will be held on 22nd-23rd July 2022 in Portugal’s Azores. Alongside a star-studded line-up, lucky ticketholders will also get to experience the beautiful surroundings of Sete Cidades Massif volcano, a historic crater located between two lakes. Presently used as a naturally formed theatre and concert venue, its last eruption was recorded in 1880.

The inaugural event will be held in support of global conservation and will be hosted by Nicole Scherzinger, the former Pussycat Doll will also join the confirmed acts on stage for a special performance. Keeping with the event’s eco-friendly cause, the concert also promises to be a low emission event and aims to put a spotlight on the progressive work seen within conservation’s leading organisations. The summer event was established by Atlantis Entertainment, the record label and global music and entertainment conglobate responsible for the career of many high-profile artists.

Atlantis Entertainment CEO and co-founder Nuno Bettencourt spearheaded the project and has given the following statement concerning the event, “Atlantis Concert for Earth is a concert and global conservation celebration which uses the universal language and the power of music to showcase the incredible solution-driven work of leading conservationists and organizations from around the world – the true ‘Rockstars for Earth;’ to flip the current narrative of climate and conservation from blame, anger, and doom; to positivity and hope by shining a light on inspirational solutions to get us back in balance with our planet. It’s time to stop telling everyone how we are all going to die, but instead show them how we’re all going to live.”

Bettencourt has become known in the industry for his talent and success within various avenues within the entertainment world. The Portuguese American artist first rose to fame as the lead guitarist in rock band Extreme, shortly after the release of their debut album Bettencourt scored a billboard hit for his work on the Janet Jackson single “Black Cat”. The Grammy-award winning artist has also made waves for his work as a producer, Bettencourt has worked with some of music’s biggest acts including Toni Braxton, Rhianna and Nickelback.

Included within the many organisations which are to be showcased are Sea Legacy, The Ocean Cleanup, Blue Azores and Re:wild, the operation aims to utilise education and collaborations to promote biodiversity. Chief scientist and CEO of Re:Wild, Wes Sechrest has given the following statement concerning the forthcoming concert,  “Biodiversity, from wildlife to ecosystems, underpins the existence of life on Earth. We are excited to be a part of Concert for Earth, a celebration of the symphony of life on our unique planet and an invitation to come together to protect and restore nature for the benefit of biodiversity, the climate, and all of us.”

The event encourages donations from ticketholders and those at home, alongside the donated funds the event also promises that 100% of the money obtained will be given to the featured charities and non-profit organisations. Tickets are now on sale for residents and locals to the Azores area, those who are unable to attend will still be able to watch selected highlights. As from Saturday 23rd July 2022 handpicked performances will be available to watch virtually via the Veeps platforms.

Click here for ticket information.

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The 70-year-old singer has provided the following statement concerning the lucrative deal, “I am delighted to have Jody and the team at UMPG curate and manage my song catalog. It is absolutely essential to me that my career’s body of work have a home where it is valued and respected – not only to connect with longtime fans in new ways but also to introduce my songs to new audiences, musicians and generations. Throughout my career, I have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with UMG as my label partner, under the watchful guidance of Lucian, so it felt natural to unite everything in one trusted home, as I return to the studio, ready for the next chapter.”

The iconic artist spans over four decades and holds a back catalogue full of hits, both solo and with The Police.  Sting first gained notarization through The Police, the group formed in the late seventies with Sting on vocals and bass, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland. The group became a global favourite and went on to rule the charts with such hits as “Roxanne” and “Message in a Bottle”. The group’s catalogue includes five studio albums and multiple singles including the smash it “Every Breath You Take” and “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”.

After some initial solo projects, Sting released his first solo album in 1985 entitled The Dream of the Blue Turtles. The album reached number three within the UK album charts and sired two Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Male Best Pop Vocal Performance. The album’s first single “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” was released on 31st May 1985 and cemented Sting as a solo artist. Born as Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, Sting released fourteen further solo albums, his most recent full release My Bridge was released on 19th November and reached the top 40 within the UK album charts.

Speaking on the impressive range of material acquired, Chairman and Chief executive of Universal Sir Lucian Grainge has provided the following statement, “We are honoured that by choosing Universal for his music publishing, Sting’s entire body of work as a songwriter and recording artist – from the Police to his solo work – will all be within the Universal family, It is a responsibility we don’t take lightly.”

The multi award-winning artist is set to resume his My Songs tour which began last year, the singer will perform on 5th March 2022 at Latvia’s Arena Riga and will finish the 23 date European leg on 13th April 2022 with a performance in Germany. The singer will then return to the UK for a six-date residency at The London Palladium starting on 15th April 2022.

Sting UK tour dates

15/04 – The London Palladium – London
16/04 – The London Palladium – London
17/04 – The London Palladium – London
19/04 – The London Palladium – London
20/04 – The London Palladium – London
21/04 – The London Palladium – London

Click here to purchase tickets.

The website will give fans content that charts the singer’s career starting from his early days in 1992 to the present day and will provide deep dives into the tracks on the album. Various forms of content will give the user a unique experience provided in the following languages, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Polish and Japanese, and is sure to be a fantastic companion to Sting’s new album. The album features duets with a who’s who’s of musical stars including, Herbie Hancock, Mary J Blige, Eric Clapton, Shaggy, Annie Lennox.

Fans will know Sting’s origins as a member of The Police and as the man behind the incredible vocals on classic ‘Roxanne’. The Police remain a highly influential band amongst young musicians and fans alike, with further hit singles such as ‘Message in a Bottle‘, catchy ‘Every Little Thing She Does is Magic’ and wedding-song favourite ‘Every Breath you Take’ which gave the band their fifth UK No1 single. The band formed in 1977 went on to scoop two Brit Awards, six Grammy Awards and sell over 75 million records. So, when Sting went solo in 1985 it was no surprise that his first solo album ‘The Dream of the Blue Turtles’ heeded multiple Grammy nominations including Album of the year and reached triple platinum.

With a career that spans decades, it is no wonder the amount of talent which Sting has collaborated with on his new album ‘Duets’. Track ‘My Funny Valentine’ was recorded before the new album, in 2005 the two worked together on ‘My Funny Valentine’ which was originally released as the theme song for the film ‘Ashura’. The 69-year-old singer is also treating fans to a fresh digital special single with Shirazee, fans can hear Shirazee’s reimagined mix of Sting’s 1988 classic ‘English Man in New York’ on single ‘English/African in New York’. Shirazee had this to say about the experience, ‘“He [Sting] loves it. He said it made him smile in a time where he felt that’s what we need. He felt like it was a very special version. It’s just very mind-boggling to me to go from: discovering it as a kid and now being able to be in a conversation with him [Sting] about it. It’s just incredible. And I’m glad people are actually reacting the same to the record. It’s pretty cool if you ask me.”

With this news it is evident that Sting has not lost his magic, providing a brand new platform for fans and listeners to not just learn about the artist and his work but to interact with musical history.

Click here to order the album and Click here to view the website.

The single is a gentle track with a melodic vocal line and harmonies, with an instrumental which revolves around the drums. Co-written and performed by the two artists, it follows a number of duets which are likely to be included on the album with the likes of Melody Gardot and Shaggy.

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‘Little Something’ featuring American jazz singer Melody Gardot premiered in September 2020 with a beautiful latin feel to the rhythm and some stunning jazz chords. From what’s been shared so far from the album, it’s clear that there will be a versatile range of songs.

Sting has worked with ‘It Wasn’t Me’ creator Shaggy numerous times in the past, working on their collaboration album ’44/876′ together in 2018 and continuing to share more tracks since then. Most recently, the pair released a song together which samples the ’80s track ‘Angel Of The Morning’ by Juice Newton.

Confirmed to feature on the album are Gashi, Eric Clapton, Annie Lennox, Herbie Hancock, and more, so fans have a lot to look forward to. Initially, the release date for ‘Duets’ was today, but it was postponed last week due to unforeseen delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic interfering with manufacturing. Sting took to Instagram to explain this, but confirmed that ‘September’ would still be available early.

The documentary discovers the history of psychedelics, the pros and cons and its cultural impact, as well as the possibilities of treating addiction and depression. “I don’t think psychedelics are the answers to the world’s problems”, Sting says in the opening, “but they could be a start.” Actor Nick Offerman appears as a mad professor, standing in front of a chalkboard in a lab, asking the camera “what is going on in your brain when you’re tripping?” The scenarios displayed on the screen seem indeed trippy, loads of bright, colourful animations are shown in between scenes of musicians, actors and comedians talking about their own experiences with hallucinogens. “No lie, a rainbow shout out of my dick”, A$AP Rocky says whilst trying to keep a straight face.

The trailer already promises a lot of funny scenes and anecdotes: We get to see a cartoon version of Sting talking to grass as the real life Sting explains that he once thought the grass was talking to him whilst he was tripping, Sarah Silverman wondering “it’s always when you say ‘I don’t feel anything’, that’s usually the tipping point, ‘do I feel anything? What is feeling?” and Rosie Perez thinking that her body became one with her bed.

Ben Stiller admits he’s only taken acid once: “Maybe didn’t even need to,” he says. “Probably could have just watched this documentary.” If you don’t want to take psychedelic drugs to find out how you’d react to it, like Ben Stiller did, head over to Netflix on May 11th to watch as celebrities are taking a trip down memory lane.

A series of intimate and exclusive shows will begin at London’s Camden Roundhouse in May with additional dates in Newcastle, Birmingham and Manchester.Tickets are on sale from Friday, February 15th at 9 am at livenation.co.uk and ticketmaster.co.uk.

Last year the dynamic duo brought The 44/876 Tour to North America, South America and Eastern Europe. Critics hailed it as “one of the most anticipated concerts of the year” and “a reggae rock dance party that never lets up.”The show sees the pair collaborating on each other’s most celebrated hits such as “Every Breath You Take,” “Englishman In New York,” “Message In A Bottle,” “It Wasn’t Me,” “Mr Boombastic” and “Angel”. Alongside new favourites, they will also perform an array of new hits from album 44/876.

In spring of 2018, Sting & Shaggy made UK headlines with a memorable performance of ‘Don’t Make Me Wait’ at the Queen’s 92nd birthday celebration at the Royal Albert Hall. The track also featured on their collaborative Top Ten album release, which the pair also performed live on BBC’s The One Show and in the latest series of Mrs Browns Boys.

Last year also saw the release of “Skank Up (Oh Lawd)”, a further collaboration from Sting & Shaggy that featured dancehall music sensation, Ding Dong. The pair’s latest music video, “Gotta Get Back My Baby” is available to watch here. For this year, the couple will soon see the release their next single, ‘Just One Lifetime’.

Sting and Shaggy will be joined on The 44/876 Tour by Sting’s longtime collaborators Dominic Miller (guitar), Josh Freese (drums) and Rufus Miller (guitar), as well as Shaggy’s band members Melissa Musique (backing vocals), Gene Noble (backing vocals) and Kevon Webster (keyboards).

Tickets are on sale this Friday, February 15th at 9 am. Members of the artists’ fan clubs will have the opportunity to access tickets starting February 12th at 9 am until February 13th at 5 pm by visiting www.sting.com. The tour is produced by Cherrytree Management and RZO Entertainment and promoted by Live Nation Global Touring in association with Solo.

STING & SHAGGY’S 44/876 2019 U.K. TOUR DATES:

19/05/2019 – Roundhouse – London

22/05 – O2 Academy – Newcastle

24/05 – O2 Academy – Birmingham

25/05 – O2 Apollo – Manchester

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