Sting sells entire songwriting catalog to Universal Music Publishing

Sting has offered his total songwriting catalog to Common Music Group.

The acquisition contains hits like “Roxanne,” “Each Breath You Take,” “Message in a Bottle” and extra of each his solo work and songs he wrote for The Police, Common Music Publishing Group introduced Thursday. The group already owns his recorded music catalog.

The deal, which is reported to be value round $300 million, encompasses the copyrights to greater than 600 songs, in addition to future royalties on the catalog.

“I’m delighted to have Jody and the group at UMPG curate and handle my tune catalog,” Sting stated in a information launch, referring to Common Music Publishing Group CEO Jody Gerson. “It’s completely important to me that my profession’s physique of labor have a house the place it’s valued and revered — not solely to attach with longtime followers in new methods but in addition to introduce my songs to new audiences, musicians and generations.”

Main music conglomerates are scrambling to buy artists’ catalogs as streaming music turns into extra frequent. In December, Sony acquired Bruce Springsteen’s songwriting catalog and recorded music copyrights for an estimated $550 million. Earlier final yr, David Bowie’s property offered his publishing catalog to Warner Chappell Music in a deal value upward of $250 million.

Sting’s music continues to be a “cultural mainstay,” Common Music Publishing Group stated. Along with his songs’ persevering with to be commercially profitable, Sting’s music has been sampled in a number of chart-toppers by stars like Nas, The Roots, 2Pac and French Montana.

“Form of My Coronary heart” was sampled in Juice WRLD’s “Lucid Desires,” which has over 1.8 billion streams on Spotify alone.

“I might by no means have imagined that sometime I might get to steer an organization that would be the guardian of Sting’s exceptional songwriting legacy,” Gerson stated in an announcement. “Each one in all us at UMPG seems ahead to this work with a way of honor, accountability and large pleasure about what we will obtain for his music sooner or later.”