When Music Licensing and Old Royalties Come Back to Haunt You

This week’s stories spotlight how small missteps in music licensing — or outdated contract language — can lead to major legal fallout. From social media promos to streaming royalties, the rules are evolving fast.

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ChaseLawyers Newsletter
January 20, 2026

Hi there,

This week’s legal stories revolve around music — but not on the charts.

In the first, Drew Barrymore’s personal Instagram post promoting her FLOWER Beauty line is facing a copyright infringement suit over an unlicensed track. Though she posted it to her own account, the court may treat it as brand content — and brand content requires its own music licenses.

Then there’s Sting — fresh off a £647K payout to his former bandmates in The Police. But that may be just the start. They’re asking the court to expand their royalty claims to include streaming revenue. The question: does “sales” in a 1970s contract include Spotify today?

Drew Barrymore Sued Over Instagram Music Use

Barrymore is being sued by German music company INSTNCT for using the track You Make Me Happy in a 2023 Reel promoting FLOWER Beauty. The brand post — shared on her personal account — allegedly lacked the required license. The case highlights a growing risk for celebrities and influencers whose posts blur the line between personal and commercial content.

INSTNCT claims the music was used without permission in a branded video created alongside beauty incubator Maesa. Instagram’s platform-wide licenses only cover user-generated content — not paid promotions or ads.

Sting’s Royalty Dispute With Former Bandmates Widens

Sting has already paid £647,000 to Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland for “historic underpayment” of royalties, but the former Police bandmates say much more is owed — possibly over £8 million. A UK court is now weighing whether 1970s and 2016-era contracts entitle them to a percentage of streaming revenue from hits like Every Breath You Take.

Sting’s legal team argues the contracts only apply to physical “sales,” but his former bandmates say streaming now fills that role and should be included. If the court agrees, it could significantly expand how older royalty agreements are interpreted in the digital age.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Drew Barrymore sued over unlicensed music in Instagram Reel pushing her cosmetics brand

A cosmetics promo Reel on Barrymore’s personal Instagram is now at the center of a copyright lawsuit. The track wasn’t cleared — and her personal post is being treated as brand content.

After Sting coughs up £647k in royalty dispute, former bandmates say there could be millions more missing

After paying £647K to settle a historic underpayment, Sting may owe millions more. His former bandmates say they deserve a cut of streaming — and a UK court will decide.

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Barry Chase, Esq. is an honors graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, and the founding partner of ChaseLawyers®. In addition to his entertainment attorney legal practice, Mr. Chase lectures regularly on the representation of media personalities, the legal “do’s and don’ts” of music, television, and film production, and the intricacies of film rights option agreements.

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