Speculations we reported on in May (“Report: Pink Floyd considers selling catalog”) that Pink Floyd is considering selling its music catalog appear to be true.
The Times reports a number of entities are competing for ownership of the band’s songs as well as master recordings. The report states the band is seeking £400 million, the equivalent of approximately $470 million US.
Private equity group Blackstone is said to be in the running, as well as Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group Corp., BMG and Primary Wave. Sony and Warner already distribute some of Floyd’s work.
According to Bloomberg, the deal would also include the right to create official band merchandise.
If the band strikes a deal, it would be one of the largest transactions in music history.
Their music is timeless and will live on well into the future. Not surprising having seen other artists selling their catalogs for large sums of money. I suspect it’s much simpler to pass financial resources to families than a music catalog.