Fields of Gold: Sting sells entire catalogue of hits to Universal Music
Music icon Sting has sold his entire music catalogue to Universal Music, joining the long list of stars to recently cash in on their tunes.
The agreement between the 17-time GRAMMY winner and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) hands over both his solo songs as well as those with The Police, including “Roxanne,” “Every Breath You Take,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Englishman in New York” and “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” among countless other global hits.
UMPG will now own both his song catalogue and his recorded music catalogue.
British-born composer, singer-songwriter, actor, author, and activist Sting has sold more than 100 million albums throughout his illustrious career and created some of the most recognisable and culturally impactful pop songs in recent decades.
As co-founder, frontman and bassist of The Police, alongside Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, Sting became one of the world’s best-selling artists. The Police released five studio albums between 1978 – 1983, earning six GRAMMY Awards and two Brit Awards. The band were inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
Universal has been Sting’s label home for his entire career, and they plan to work together to further build and expand audience reach, and support future music releases.
“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”, said Sting.
He added that he has enjoyed a “long and successful” relationship with Universal and “it felt natural to unite everything in one trusted home” for the next chapter of his career.
Jody Gerson, chairman and chief exec, Universal Music Publishing Group, said, “So many memories from my youth are tied to the great songs written by Sting — whether it was first seeing the Police perform in Philadelphia or hearing his music on the radio or playing those albums until I wore them out.”
“I could never have imagined that someday I would get to lead a company that will be the guardian of Sting’s remarkable songwriting legacy. Every one of us at UMPG looks forward to this work with a sense of honor, responsibility and enormous excitement about what we can achieve for his music in the future.”