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Sting, legendary rocker and former frontman of The Police, is the latest in a string of veteran rockstars who have sold the entirety of their musical catalog.
The artist has sold his entire body of work to Universal Music for a reported amount of $250 million. The copyrights include over 600 songs.
In a news release, Sting said:
“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.”
Sting's announcement is the latest in several such moves, including Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen’s songwriting catalog and recorded music copyrights being bought by Sony for an estimated $550 million in December 2021.
The estate of late glam-rock icon David Bowie sold his publishing catalog to Warner Chappell Music for $250 million earlier last year.
Sting: Career highlights and net worth
Born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner on October 2, 1951, in Wallsend, Northumberland, England, Sting worked a string of low-paying jobs as a tax officer, building laborer and bus conductor before moving to London in 1977 to pursue music.
He gained prominence as the frontman of The Police, a band he formed with Stewart Copeland and Henry Padovani (who would later be replaced by Andy Summers), before enjoying a thriving solo career.
The Police released five studio albums as a band, all of which have been certified platinum across the world. 1983's Synchronicity, the band's most revered album, went 8x Platinum in the U.S. It spawned iconic singles such as Don't Stand So Close to Me, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Wrapped Around Your Finger and perhaps the band's most well-known song, Every Breath You Take.
Some of Sting's other memorable tunes as part of The Police and a solo artist include Roxanne, Message in a Bottle, Desert Rose, If I Ever Lose My Faith In You and Shape Of My Heart.
The artist has sold more than 100 million records over his career, and has been sampled by stars like Nas, The Roots, 2Pac, Juice WRLD, and French Montana.
Sting has also acted in several film and television roles, including David Lynch's Dune (1984), The Larry Sanders Show (1996), the crime caper Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Ally McBeal (2001), and Zoolander 2 (2016). Most recently, he appeared as himself on Season 1 of Only Murders In The Building. He has also published two books, Broken Music (2003) and Lyrics (2007).
He also garnered the honor of being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003.
With such an expansive career across a variety of media, Sting's estimated net worth is around $550 million.
With a host of other musicians such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, the members of Fleetwood Mac including Stevie Nicks, Paul Simon, and late R&B icon Prince's estate having made similar decisions, it is certainly clear that major music conglomerates have amped up efforts to purchase artists’ catalogs as streaming music becomes universal.
