BMG part ways with Roger Waters following comments about Israel
Following controversial comments made by former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters about Israel, the musician has parted ways with BMG.
Waters entered an agreement with the record label in 2016, which was a publishing arrangement. However, last year, when he shared his new version of Pink Floyd’s seminal album The Dark Side of the Moon, it was released through Cooking Vinyl rather than BMG.
According to a new report by Variety, the decision to not release Waters’ latest offering through BMG was made following the appointment of Thomas Coesfeld as CEO on July 1st, 2023.
Waters, who had a concert in Frankfurt cancelled last year over claims of antisemitism which he denies, previously claimed he was “fired” from BMG during an appearance on Glenn Greenwald’s podcast in November.
Furthermore, on the same podcast, Waters said of the Hamas terrorist attack on an Israeli music festival on October 7th, 2023: “What we do know is, whether it was a false flag operation or not, or whatever, or whatever happened, and whatever story we’re going to get to — and we don’t know if we’re ever going to get much of the real story. It’s very, it’s always hard to tell what actually happened.”
Last year, during an appearance in Birmingham, Waters addressed the antisemitism accusations made agains him, telling the crowd he was “pissed off” at “the antisemitism bullshit”.
He added: “They’re trying to cancel me like they cancelled Jeremy Corbyn and Julian Assange. I will not be cancelled.”
Additionally, in September, Campaign Against Antisemitism released the documentary The Dark Side of Roger Waters, which accuses the musician of antisemitic conduct.
In the film, former Pink Floyd producer Bob Ezrin claimed that Waters called the band’s manager, Bryan Morrison, a “fucking Jew,” and saxophonist Norbert Stachel accused the musician of refusing to eat “Jew food” before making fun of his Jewish ancestors.
In response, Waters denied the accusations, stating: “I am not, and have never been, an antisemite – as anyone who really knows me will testify. I know the Jewish people to be a diverse, interesting, and complicated bunch, just like the rest of humanity. Many are allies in the fight for equality and justice, in Israel, Palestine and around the world.”
Far Out has contacted Roger Waters for comment.
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