How 2 songs funded stings family for decades

8 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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In this short commentary, Dan Novaes explains how Sting has earned massive, decades‑long income from two high‑profile uses of his compositions. The first case is Diddy’s 1997 tribute “I’ll Be Missing You,” which sampled The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” without clearance. After Elton John reportedly alerted Sting, he negotiated a large publishing share, reportedly earning about $2,000 per day – roughly $20 million over the years. The second case is Juice WRLD’s 2018 hit “Lucid Dreams,” built on the melody of Sting’s “Shape of My Heart.” Although the sample was cleared, Sting secured about 85 % of the publishing, and the diamond‑certified single (10 million+ units) likely generated tens of millions more. Novaes highlights Sting’s jokes about Diddy funding his kids’ college and Juice WRLD funding his grandkids’ college, using these anecdotes to illustrate the power of owning masters and publishing rights. The piece ends with a plug for the UBK channel for more entrepreneurial stories.

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In 1997, Sting accidentally became one of hip-hop's highest-paid artists because of one uncleared sample. It started when Diddy released "I'll Be Missing You" as a tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. The track heavily sampled "Every Breath You Take," originally written and performed by Sting's band The Police. The issue? The sample reportedly wasn't cleared before release. Legend has it that Elton John was the one who alerted Sting. Once the song exploded globally, Sting stepped in to negotiate, and because he owned the original composition, he secured a massive share of the publishing. For years, it's been rumored that Sting earned about $2,000 a day from the the song, roughly $730,000 a year, totaling around $20+ million over decades. And it happened again. In 2018, Juice WRLD released "Lucid Dreams," built around the melody of Sting's "Shape of My Heart." This time, the sample was cleared, but reports say Sting still ended up with about 85% of the publishing. "Lucid Dreams" went diamond, meaning over 10 million units sold, potentially generating tens of millions in lifetime revenue. Sting once joked that Diddy put his kids through college, and Juice WRLD put his grandkids through college. That's the power of owning your masters and publishing. For more entrepreneurial stories and information like this, follow UBK.