Sting reveals the reason why he sold his back catalogue
After selling the rights to his back catalogue to Universal last year for a reported $300million, Sting has explained why he chose to sell up.
Speaking with Music Week, Sting was initially asked about why many artists of his generation such as Bruce Springsteen, himself and Neil Young have sold the rights to their material. He explained: “I think it’s a moment in time. We’re just getting an advance basically on what we’d earn anyway. Sometimes I get a little nervous, but then I remind myself that I’m just being paid in advance.”
Discussing his own deal specifically, Sting said: “I just think it was more to do with the financial industry than anything else. It was the right time for Universal, or all of these people, to buy so… there was a negotiation, obviously [laughs].”
Elsewhere in the interview, Sting elaborated: “I don’t think I would have sold it to anyone but Universal because they put my records out, so they have a vested interest in curating it in a responsible way that keeps the integrity of the songs. It’s been a good partnership and I’ve sort of rationalised it the way a painter would say, ‘I’ve sold my paintings to these people, but they’re still my paintings.’”
Sting also spoke of how Paul McCartney and The Beatles helped inspire a “whole generation” after McCartney previously said he wishes he’d written the former Police singer’s 1993 solo hit ‘Fields Of Gold’.
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