Ruck 'n' roll

As The Police battle it out in the High Court in a royalties row, we take a look at other bands who fell out over cash

-  EXCLUSIVE by JACKIE ANNETT

The Police were one of the biggest bands in the world in their heyday - but by 1984 Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers couldn't stand the sight of each other.

The acrimonious split came a year after the release of final album Synchronicity. Drummer Copeland later revealed the trio “beat the crap out of each other” during the “very dark” recording sessions.

After a handful of halfhearted reunions, the bandmates finally fully reunited in 2007 for a lucrative one-off global tour.

But they are at each other's throats again in a row over money.

Number one hits like Message in a Bottle (1979), Every Little Thing She Does is Magic (1981) and Every Breath You Take (1983) have raked in millions over the years.

Frontman and main songwriter Sting is said to owe more than €1.75million in “arranger’s fees” to Copeland and guitarist Summers, but told the High Court in London last week he's already paid more than €575,000 to them since they started legal proceedings.

At issue is the interpretation of various agreements and how they apply to streaming, which wasn't around when the band formed in 1977 but generates significant income today.