Sony in talks to buy Pink Floyd music rights for about $500 mln, FT reports

Sept 13 (Reuters) - Sony Music 6758.T is in advanced talks to buy the rights to music recorded by legendary English rock group Pink Floyd for about $500 million, the Financial Times reported on Friday. Pink Floyd has been riven by personal differences between band members, notably Roger Waters and David Gilmour, that has made reaching an agreement difficult, the FT said, citing several people close to the matter.

Pink Floyd was founded in 1965 by Syd Barrett (guitar, lead vocals), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals) and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). With Barrett as their main songwriter, they released the successful debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (all 1967).

David Gilmour (guitar, vocals) joined in 1967; Barrett left in 1968 due to deteriorating mental health. While all four members contributed compositions, Waters became the primary songwriter and thematic leader, bringing forth the concepts behind Pink Floyd's most successful albums, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979).

By 2013, Pink Floyd had sold more than 250 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music acts of all time. The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and along with Wish You Were Here are among the best-selling albums of all time. In March 2023, Variety reported that Pink Floyd had been looking to sell their catalog for some time, but the efforts were in vain due to infighting amongst the band.

Gilmour, commenting on the situation, said he wanted to "be rid of the decision-making and the arguments that are involved with keeping [the catalog] going. It's three people saying yes, but one person saying no." In 2023, Waters released The Dark Side of the Moon Redux, a new version of the album. In 2024, Gilmour released his fifth solo album, Luck and Strange, featuring keyboards recorded with Wright in 2007.