Every Band You Pay

Last Updated on: 15th January 2026, 10:48 am

I realize that I’m maybe super mega oversimplifying things here, but goddamn is it ever stupid that bands fight over songwriting credits.

I was in a band once. I’ve also pitched in here and there to help my musical friends with things they’ve written. Most of that stuff never wound up getting released, and anything that did never made the sort of money that would make it worthwhile to shake a sumbitch down and potentially ruin a friendship if it made anything at all. But the fact is, I did contribute. A line here, a harmony there, a what if this bit sounded more like this instead…that sort of collaborative tinkering adds up and becomes part of making a song what it is. Sometimes an offhand suggestion can mean the difference between just another song and a monster hit that brings in millions of dollars a year and pretty well sets you up for life.

So unless the dynamics of your band are such that whatever your leader brings you is exactly what you play no questions asked, why doesn’t it just go without saying that everyone gets a piece of the action? It would make things so much easier. Yes, you’re still left with the question of what’s worth what if for some reason an equal partnership is off the table, but you’re at least starting from a place where everyone’s contribution is worth something, which feels like the right thing to do when you’re all supposed to be in something together.

I’m thinking about this today because I was just reminded that Andy Summers didn’t get a writing credit for “Every Breath You Take”.

that instantly recognizable guitar? That’s his. Yes, Sting had things mostly nailed down in the demo he recorded, but come on, man.

Maybe it would have done well anyway. Sometimes a hit is a hit no matter what. But I’m not convinced it would have been nearly as big as it became if it had come out sounding like that.

The moral of the story is, if ya didn’t do it alone, don’t act like ya did. You’ll look like much less of a dickhead than you would if you were to, let’s say, argue that the guys who helped make your music sound as good as it does were substantially overpaid.