NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — On Thursday, Universal Music Group announced the acquisition of the music catalog of veteran hitmaker and 17-time Grammy Award-winner Sting.
The deal encompasses Sting’s entire catalog, including his creative output with The Police, such as “Roxanne,” “Every Breath You Take,” “Shape Of My Heart,” “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You,” “Fields Of Gold,” “Desert Rose,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Englishman in New York” and “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.”
Additionally, the agreement covers Sting’s 15 solo albums, starting with his 1985 solo debut ‘The Dream of Blue Turtles’ through his most recent, ‘The Bridge,’ released in November 2021. Sting’s solo albums include UK No. 1s ‘…Nothing Like the Sun,’ ‘The Soul Cages,’ ‘Ten Summoner’s Tales,’ ‘Mercury Falling,’ ‘Sacred Love,’ ‘Brand New Day,’ and more.
In all, the transaction includes the copyrights for 600 songs, as well as Sting’s royalties as a songwriter.
“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 said in a press statement announcing the deal.
“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,” added Jody Gerson, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Publishing Group.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal is estimated to be worth around $300 million. Sting was represented in the transaction by Allen Grubman with his partners Joe Brenner and Stuart Prager.
