Legendary 60s rock band sell entire music catalogue for $400,000,000 after bitter feud-Danni Scott-Entertainment – Metro

Pink Floyd have reportedly sold their entire back catalogue (Picture: Getty Images)

Nearly six decades after they formed, Pink Floyd has reportedly sold all their music rights to Sony for a whopping $400,000,000 (£300million).

The deal gives Sony Music control over the iconic rock band’s name and likeness as well as their substantial music catalogue, including Dark Side of the Moon.

Pink Floyd is not the first to cash in on their extensive discography, joining the likes of David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and (possibly) even Oasis’ Noel Gallagher.

Queen’s $1.27billion (£1billion) sale is the biggest on record, with Bruce Springsteen and Bob in joint second with $500million (£378million).

According to the Financial Times, this deal will allow Sony to produce merchandise or TV and film spin-offs using the band’s likeness, however, the copyright for the songwriting will remain with the original members.

This comes two years after a bidding war over the discography fell through due to a tax dispute between the surviving Pink Floyd members.

They have not performed together in years (Picture: MJ Kim/Getty Images)

David Gilmour called it a ‘burden’ to look after the legacy (Picture: Redferns)

Bassist Roger Waters has been at odds with the rest of the band – David Gilmour and Nick Mason – for quite some time now, after his controversial statements.

The 81-year-old guitarist, who was dropped by label BMG in January, has been repeatedly accused of antisemitism by former bandmates and the general public, which he has refuted.

Last year, he outraged fans in Berlin when he dressed in a German uniform that was described as a Nazi SS officer on stage.

Meanwhile, David, 78, and Nick, 80, have separated themselves from their former bandmate and continued to make music outside of Pink Floyd.

The profits from the deal will be split between the surviving members and the estates of the late Richard Wright and founding frontman Syd Barrett.

‘My reason for wanting to do it is I don’t want to burden my kids with that whole legacy,’ David explained to the Washington Post last month.

Roger Waters has been marred by controversies over the years (Picture: Jim Dyson/Getty Images)

He continued: ‘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.’

The sale could open up avenues for an AI or holographic resurrection of the group, but David isn’t concerned about the implications of that.

‘No. I’ll be dead,’ he brutally responded. ‘Who gives a s*** what anyone does?’

Nick previously shared he was excited by the possibility of new Pink Floyd music created using the controversial technology.

Speaking to The Sunday Mirror in July, Nick said: ‘It would be fascinating to see what AI could do with new music. If you tried to run it as a sort of “Where did Pink Floyd go after?”

It’s thought the deal includes rights to the band’s likeness too (Picture: Corbis via Getty Images)

‘The thing to do would be to have an AI situation where David and Roger become friends again. We could be like Abba by the time we’ve finished with it.’

The Waterloo icons and their famous ‘Abbatars’ at London’s Abba Voyage have often been looked to as a potential touring option for artists unable to go on the road.

Even The Beatles have used AI to reimagine their music, with Paul McCartney using the technology to clean up a lost demo with John Lennon’s vocals.

The song, Now and Then, has since been released and it seems the 82-year-old singer is preparing to perform it on his new tour.

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