David Gilmour says it would be a “dream” to sell Pink Floyd’s back catalogue
Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour has revealed his ambitions to one day sell the band’s catalogue and remove himself from the “mud bath.”
The prog-rock band initially looked to sell their catalogue back in 2022. Potential buyers were contacted and Pink Floyd looked set to take home hundreds of millions for their music, but negotiations were halted when bassist Roger Waters shared a comment on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Now, in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Gilmour has revealed that he is still interested in the idea of selling Pink Floyd’s catalogue. “It is something that is still in discussion, yeah,” he noted.
The sale would reap huge financial returns for the band, but this doesn’t seem to be the main appeal for Gilmour. Rather, he seeks to remove himself from the “mud bath” that Pink Floyd has become.
“To be rid of the decision making and arguments that are involved with keeping it going is my dream,” he explained, “If things were different… and I am not interested in that from a financial standpoint. I’m only interested in it from getting out of the mud bath that it has been for quite a while.”
According to Gilmour, decision-making in the band works on a “veto system.” “You could say it’s three people saying yes,” he explained, “but one person saying no.”
Pink Floyd aren’t the only legendary band who have expressed an interest in selling their back catalogues. Several artists have gone through with this process in the last few years, including Bruce Springsteen, who made a $500 million deal with Sony Music Publishing in 2021, and Stevie Nicks, who sold an 80 per cent stake in her catalogue in 2020.
Meanwhile, Gilmour seems to be pouring his creative energy into his solo endeavours. His comments come just before the release of his next solo album, Luck and Strange, which arrives on September 6th.
The record includes contributions from Gilmour’s wife, writer Polly Samson, who previously penned lyrics for Pink Floyd, as well as the late keyboard player Richard Wright. It will mark Gilmour’s fifth full-length solo offering and the first in almost a decade, following from the release of Rattle That Lock in 2015.
Despite focusing on his solo work, Gilmour doesn’t seem to have completely ruled out the idea of ever returning to Pink Floyd. “I never say never,” he commented.
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