sting

Diddy Denies Paying Sting $5K For “Missing You” Sample

by

The business of samples can often be pricey. Artists like Danny Brown have admitted to being in the red after trying to clear records but if you’re Diddy, then chances are that you have all of the funds necessary to sample any song in the world. Still, it can be costly. Earlier this week, an old video surfaced from Sting’s interview on The Breakfast Club where he said that he gets paid $2,000 a day for Diddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You,” a tribute song to the Notorious B.I.G featuring Faith Evans and 112.

As the Internet reacted to the outrageous number that Diddy has to cough up for the rest of his life, the Bad Boy founder upped the ante. He said that he actually pays Sting over double what was mentioned on The Breakfast Club. “Nope. $5K a day,” he wrote before showing love to Sting. According to calculations, Diddy coughed up nearly $47M to Sting between the song’s release in 1997 and now. Ultimately, that doesn’t seem like it would be too much of an issue, given Puff’s billionaire status. 

Diddy Clarifies Sting’s Royalties

While people were left in shock by the potential $5K a day Diddy has to cough up, the “Gotta Move On” artist said that he was “just joking.” He took to Twitter where he explained that he was being “facetious” in response to the 2018 Breakfast Club clip. “I want y’all to understand I was joking! It’s called being Facetious! Me and @OfficialSting have been friends for a long time! He never charged me $3K or $5K a day for Missing You. He probably makes more than $5K a day from one of the biggest songs in history,” he said.

So far, Sting hasn’t corroborated these claims but it’s quite clear that he’s still getting paid. The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” has been sampled across many hip-hop records throughout history. Though “I’ll Be Missing You,” as Diddy stated, is one of the most recognizable songs ever, RZA also sampled the record on 2003’s “Seul Face Å Lui.” We’ll keep you posted if Sting ever replies. Check out Diddy’s tweet above and let us know your thoughts in the comments. 

No, Sting Did Not Charge Diddy $5K A Day For ‘I’ll Be Missing You,’ Says Diddy

by
Sting Diddy 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards 2018
Getty Image

For years now, there’s been this rumor about Diddy and Sting. Diddy famously sampled The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” on the hit 1997 single “I’ll Be Missing You,” but the rumor goes he didn’t get proper permission for the sample. Therefore, Diddy apparently has to pay Sting $2,000 per day over the song.

Charlamagne Tha God asked Sting about this in a 2018 interview and Sting answered, “Yeah, for the rest of his life. If it’s on the radio, then it must be true!” A clip of that conversation circulated on Twitter recently and Diddy shared it, writing, “Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting!”

As far as the $5K claim, though, turns out Diddy was just messing around. In fact, the whole story at any dollar amount seems to be a fallacy.

On Twitter today (April 7), Diddy offered some clarification, writing, “I want y’all to understand I was joking! It’s called being Facetious! Me and @OfficialSting have been friends for a long time! He never charged me $3K or $5K a day for Missing You. He probably makes more than $5K a day from one of the biggest songs in history.”

So there we have it: “Every step I take / Every move I make / Every single day, every time I pray / I won’t be paying you.”

Diddy Chimed In On The Theory That He Pays Sting Every Day For ‘I’ll Be Missing You’

by
Diddy Sting Grammys
Getty Image

Sting and Shaggy appeared on The Breakfast Club in March 2018. About six minutes into the conversation, Sting was asked about rappers who have requested clearances to sample his songs, including Diddy.

“Is it true that Diddy has to pay you two grand a day because he didn’t ask permission to sample [The Police’s] ‘Every Breath You Take’?” Charlamagne Tha God asked about Diddy’s 1997 No. 1 single “I’ll Be Missing You.”

“Yeah, for the rest of his life,” Sting jokingly responded. “If it’s on the radio, then it must be true!” he said before clarifying that Diddy actually did ask for permission at some point. Sting said he and Diddy were “very good friends now” and wasn’t “at all” upset about the sample. In fact, he was “very happy” because “it was a beautiful version of that song.”

A 22-second snippet of the exchange circulated on Twitter on Wednesday, April 5, and Diddy chimed in, writing, “Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting!”

The truth probably resides somewhere in the middle, but regardless, Sting isn’t relying on extra cash from Diddy or anyone else. The New York Times broke the news in February 2022 that Sting sold his solo recording catalog and The Police songwriting catalog to Universal Music Group for an estimated $300 million.

Diddy Pays Sting $5K Per Day For “I’ll Be Missing You” Sample

by

Bad Boy Records was known for sampling classics to create fan favorites for a new generation, and Sean “Diddy” Combs is literally paying the price. Combs’s empire is an unmatched force in the industry. His reach these days goes far beyond music, and it all began with a label that changed how the world viewed Hip Hop. Puff helped shape the careers of dozens of artists, and his influence remains a powerful force.

In 1997, the world mourned the tragic loss of Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, a central figure at Bad Boy. Diddy commemorated his life with “Ill Be Missing You,” with appearances by 112 and Biggie’s wife, Faith Evans. The famed track expertly samples The Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” and Sting, the group’s singer, once revealed just how much Diddy coughs up each month. Recently, Sting’s 2018 interview with The Breakfast Club has also received viral attention. In it, he makes a claim that surprised fans.

Diddy Refreshes Sting’s Memory

In the resurfaced clip, Sting shared that Combs must pay him $2,000 daily. Charlamagne was floored. “Yeah, for the rest of his life,” said the singer. Sting further added that Diddy didn’t ask clear the sample before releasing his song but afterward. “We’re very good friends now,” he stated. They’ve also performed “I’ll Be Missing You” live together. “It was a beautiful version of that song.”

Meanwhile, nothing is missed by the mogul. Fans have been sharing the video of Sting’s interview far and wide, and it reached Diddy’s desk. He didn’t have any complaints about Sting’s comments, only a correction. It seems that the singer’s assessment was much lower than what Combs truly dishes out each day. “Nope,” Puff tweeted. “5K a day. Love to my brother [Sting]!”

A Smash—But Somber—Hit

Meanwhile, “I’ll Be Missing You” remains a favorite among Bad Boy enthusiasts. The somber track was made in memory of Biggie Smalls, making it a song that families use to honor relatives who have passed. “I’ll Be Missing You” was also a mega success, spending 11 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Long live Christopher Wallace. Revisit “I’ll Be Missing You” above.

Why Are Artists Selling Their Catalogs?

by
artists selling catalogs
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

Over the past couple of years, the number of artists selling off portions of their publishing catalogs has risen greatly, with artists from classic rockers like Bob Dylan and Sting putting up their legacy hits to hip-hop artists like Future, Iggy Azalea, and Metro Boomin cashing in on more recent material. Even R&B and pop stars stars like John Legend, Justin Bieber, and Justin Timberlake have joined the gold rush, while the estates of both Juice WRLD and Michael Jackson have sold the stars’ catalogs.

So, why are so many artists selling their old music?

Well, it likely comes down to a couple of reasons. The first, and most obvious, is for the cash payout. While publishing is still the most lucrative revenue stream for artists outside of playing live shows and doing brand partnerships, publishing is really only profitable when songs are licensed for use in advertising, film, television, or sampling in other artists’ music. However, there really are only so many opportunities available there, and things like streaming don’t generate the kind of income that actual album sales did back in the day.

As the late David Crosby wrote on Twitter when he sold his catalog, “I can’t work …and streaming stole my record money …I have a family and a mortgage and I have to take care of them so it’s my only option ..I’m sure the others feel the same.” Now that he’s gone, that cash is likely a comfort to his family — and much easier to deal with than administrating his massive catalog. As country star Travis Tritt said when he sold his catalog to Reservoir Media, “The biggest reason for me selling was not to leave a huge headache for my family that would have to try to administrate a catalog. I’d rather leave them cash.”

The other big reason stars might be selling their catalogs has to do with taxes. Because of the way income is taxed from royalties, artists might end up keeping more of their money by selling the publishing rights all at once. Royalty payments are viewed by the IRS as regular income, which could be taxed as high as 37 percent under current tax codes depending on how much those royalties are. However, a catalog sale is taxed as capital gains — which has a much lower max rate of 20 percent.

With the current administration working to close that loophole, many artists and their business managers view it as a limited window of time to take advantage of it, and they are doing so before time runs out. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, it also makes sense because while the long-term realization of the catalogs’ value will likely be many times when artists are being paid for them now, most artists probably won’t see all that potential — even if they aren’t as old as, say, Sting.

Getting a guaranteed eight figures now rather than a possible larger payout some indiscriminate time in the future seems like a pretty good deal. After all, you can’t take it with you and you’d rather be able to enjoy it while you’re young enough to do so. And while there may be some unintended consequences down the road — monopolies are never good — for now, it would appear to be in artists’ best interests to cash out while their hand is hot — because everyone cools off eventually.

For more information, check out The Washington Post‘s coverage.