The collection, which includes Every Breath You Take, Roxanne, and Fields of Gold, was purchased by Universal’s music publishing department on Thursday.
Sting is selling his music collection, including hits with the Police and as a solo artist, joining a growing list of celebrities who are cashing in on the value of licensing their tunes to investors.
The financial details were kept under wraps. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young, and other artists who sold millions of CDs to Baby Boomers in recent months have sold their recordings, songwriting catalogs, or both.
The permanent right to use the artist’s songs or recordings in commercials, movies, television shows, and other mediums is often granted to buyers.
Springsteen’s sale to Sony Music Entertainment in December was valued at $550 million, while Dylan’s transaction with Universal Music Publishing Group in the same month was valued at between $300 million and $500 million, according to music industry analysts.
Sting, whose real name is Gordon Sumner, was the lead vocalist, songwriter, and bass guitarist for the Police in London in the 1970s.
In 2003, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for combining new wave rock, reggae, and jazz. Sting has received 17 Grammy Prizes and countless other awards for his work with the group and as a solo musician.
Sting continues to play live concerts and has been in over a dozen films. Sting said in a statement released by Universal Music Group that he intended his work to “connect with old fans in new ways” and “to introduce my songs to new audiences, musicians, and generations” in his statement.
According to Universal, he has sold over 100 million albums. Every Breath You Take surpassed You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling as the most-played song in BMI’s collection in 2019, according to the music licensing organization.
