'Grab that cash with both hands!' Pink Floyd set to make 400 million pounds from sale of back catalogue

Pink Floyd is reportedly set to make 400 million pounds flogging their back catalogue. It is rumoured that several music labels are vying for the rights to Pink Floyd's copyrights, including the band's compositions and master recordings.

According to the Financial Times, Sony, Warner, BMG, and Primary Wave compete alongside American private equity firm Blackstone. The publication added that the band reportedly seeks a sum of 400 million pounds, but records may be broken if the purchase exceeds that amount.

The current biggest deals of their kind involved the back catalogues of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, each sold for 400 million pounds last year.

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Blackstone, who owns a stake in Hipgnosis Song Management founded by Elton John's ex-manager Merck Mercuriadis, has spent 341 million dollars on back catalogues.

These include Kenny Chesney, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Leonard Cohen, and Nile Rodgers.

In 1965, Roger Waters founded Pink Floyd alongside Syd (guitar, lead vocals), Nick (drums) and Richard (keyboards, vocals). Syd departed the band in 1968 due to mental health issues, while David joined the group two years later in 1967. There have been various rumours of internal strife in the band; Richard left in 1979, and Roger left in 1985.

Thanks to his wildly successful solo career and his firms, Roger Waters Music UK and Roger Waters Music Overseas, Roger has acquired an astounding net worth of 247 million pounds.

Three years before Richard's passing, in 2005, the original lineup of Roger, Richard, David, and Nick came together for the Live eight event in London for the first time in 24 years.

After critics failed to show up to review his performance, Roger bragged that he is "far, far, far more important" than Canadian singers Drake and The Weeknd.

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In a recent interview with Canada's The Globe and Mail, the rock star made the audacious claim.

Roger became irate and questioned the interviewer as to why neither the local newspaper nor any others had written reviews of his most recent performances in the Canadian city.

The Weeknd's 'After Hours' Til Dawn' tour, which was scheduled to launch in Toronto on the same night but was postponed due to a widespread power outage, was revealed to him.

This tour, which is in support of The Weeknd's fourth and fifth studio albums, After Hours (2020) and Dawn FM, will be his first-ever global stadium tour (2022).

Roger responded, "I have no idea what or who the Weeknd is because I don't listen to much music. People have told me he's a big act."

"Well, good luck to him. I've got nothing against him. Would it not have been possible to review his show one night and my show another night? 'I'm not trying to make a personal attack. I'm just saying it seemed odd," he added.

He also threw shade at the city's native superstar Drake, "And, by the way, with all due respect to the Weeknd or Drake or any of them, I am far, far, far more important than any of them will ever be, however many billions of streams they've got. There is stuff going on here that is fundamentally important to all of our lives."

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