David Gilmour’s Fear of Burdening His Kids Spurred Pink Floyd’s $400 Million Catalog Sale

Formed during the 1960s, Pink Floyd watched as the band’s stardom grew with each new release. Creating albums like The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and Animals, the band sold over 250 million albums and landed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame. Although the band hasn’t released a new album in over a decade, Pink Floyd recently sold their entire music catalog for a staggering $400 million. 

For the past two years, Pink Floyd worked to make a deal for their rich catalog of music. Although companies like Warner Music, Hipgnosis, and BMG showed interest, the band couldn’t agree on terms. That was until Sony entered the conversations. Coming to an agreement, the price for Pink Floyd is just the latest music bought by Sony. Earlier in the year, the company spent nearly $600 million on the rights to Michael Jackson’s music. Although adding Pink Floyd to their lineup, the purchase only included the recorded rights and not the songwriting. 

David Gilmour recently spoke with The Washington Post about the prospect of selling the band’s masters and/or publishing. He didn’t mince words when asked if that was being considered for Pink Floyd.

“Yes. My reason for wanting to do it is I don’t want to burden my kids with that whole legacy,” he said. “And I also have had enough of the burdens of looking after that f—ing legacy for the last nearly 40 years with the s— and the arguments that go on. And I just want to be shorn of it.”

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The Turbulent Past Between Pink Floyd Bandmates

Outside of the historic deal, Pink Floyd dealt with fractured relationships over the years as Gilmour and Roger Waters often disagreed. While Waters left the group in 1985, he and Gilmour found themselves in a legal battle over the rights to the Pink Floyd name. 

Although having issues with Waters, Gilmour rarely shared his thoughts with the public. Even when he recently spoke with Mojo, the musician refrained from giving up too many details. “This constant hunt for information about something which, to me, is totally irrelevant, is wearisome. Do you know what decade of my life I was in when Roger left our pop group? My 30s. I am now 78. Where’s the relevance?”

While knowing fans want all the juicy details about what went on behind the scenes of Pink Floyd, Gilmour hinted that he could break his silence. But fans might be waiting for some time as the singer stated, “One day there are things I will talk about, but this isn’t that day.”

(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)