How a £1,500 loan helped The Police hit the big time
There’s plenty of discourse in the world of modern music and the wider entertainment industry that suggests it’s almost impossible to experience success without having a comfortable financial backing to propel you into the spotlight as a pop or rock act.
It’s hard to really imagine achieving a major hit on a shoestring budget these days, let alone financing an entire album, and this is a significant reason as to why so many acts either remain at the grassroots level for eternity or choose to call it quits before they’ve even had a chance to record anything beyond their debut release. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to break into the industry, and cost is one of the factors behind the fact that artists from privileged backgrounds tend to be the ones we hear about more often.
Yes, the industry was different back in the day and not driven by money to quite the same degree, but things still cost a significant amount of money that would have been considered something of a financial setback for those involved had it not led to any level of measurable success or profit. At the end of the day, a loss of money is a hard thing to accept, especially when you’ve put so much effort into the thing you needed to spend the cash on.
It was clear that The Police thought they had the ability upon forming the band to create something special, but much like many fledgling bands, there was the issue of not having the money there to be able to piece the album together and give it a fighting chance. Despite having signed with A&M, there wasn’t the money in place for the band to go away and put down their first masterpiece on record, and by 1978, they had to look elsewhere.
As an outfit, they were ready to show the world what they were capable of, but just needed a small boost, and so in an effort to secure the funds needed to record the album, they called upon the brother of drummer Stewart Copeland to loan them £1,500 to cover the cost of studio time.
While Copeland’s brother, Miles, was clearly happy in his position as the band’s then manager and an entertainment industry executive to part with the modern-day equivalent of £9,000, he wasn’t exactly pleased with the end result, allegedly bargaining with the record label to refrain from releasing some songs as part of the album and only putting them out as standalone singles.
However, this parachute payment ended up being vital for the band, with their debut album, Outlandos D’Amour, reaching number six in the charts, which was followed by four consecutive number one albums as well as five number one singles in the UK. It was essentially the record that brought The Police into the mainstream, and launched the careers of Sting, Copeland and Andy Summers.
It’s remarkable in one sense that they were able to put their debut album, which is now regarded as a classic that kick-started the career of one of the most beloved bands in the world, on such a ridiculously small budget.
However, it’s remarkable when you consider the profession of Copeland’s brother, and it only further accentuates an issue that remains prevalent today – it’s sometimes not about what you know, but about who you know, and whether they’re happy to risk their money on a project.
