Roger Waters, co-founder and bassist in rock band Pink Floyd,

Credit: Alamy

Pink Floyd back catalogue sale jeopardised by Roger Waters’ Ukraine comments

Fri 7 October 2022 9:30, UK

Pink Floyd are one of many bands and artists working on the sale of their back catalogue. However, negotiations have reportedly hit a hurdle owing to Roger Waters’ recent comments regarding Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine.

In recent weeks, the former Pink Floyd man has urged the Ukrainian government to sue for peace which effectively means acquiescing to Vladimir Putin and when questioned on the war crimes committed by Russia he called them, “Lies, lies, lies.”

With the band he founded currently in the midst of negotiations for a sale reportedly in the region of $500 million, it is believed that his controversial claims might have had an impact on sales proceedings.

Recently, Genesis and Phil Collins sold their back catalogue for a whopping $300 million. Seeing as though Bob Dylan sold his for around $200 million back in January, the implication is that the price is only going up.

The rise in artists selling their songs to big labels coincides with the unprecedented increase in their value, meaning that the likes of Genesis, Dylan and Bruce Springsteen are in the perfect position to optimise the value of their assets, leaving their heirs with hefty inheritances without the responsibility of acting as custodians.

Another motivation behind the increase in catalogue sales is perhaps due to the expected rise in capital gains taxes, with US Democrats holding both the White House and the House of Representatives until at least 2023.

The back catalogue was purchased by Concord. The company’s president Bob Valentine told the Wall Street Journal: “In the world we live in today with Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, all these things that drive consumption of older music, there are definitely ways for us as a record company to bring some of this music back to life.”

However, seeing as though making a profit is subject to public appetite, the fear for buyers is that Waters is damaging support for the band.