Why David Gilmour Wants to ‘Be Free’ from the Pink Floyd Catalog

David Gilmour has expressed a strong desire to “be rid” of the Pink Floyd catalog, explaining that his motivation for selling has nothing to do with financial gain.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the guitarist revealed that selling Pink Floyd’s catalog is “something that is still in discussion.”

While rumors have floated that such a deal could be worth $500 million, Gilmour clarified that this lofty sum isn’t what’s driving him to sell.

“To be rid of the decision making and the arguments that are involved with keeping it going is my dream,” he declared, hinting at the ongoing drama with former bandmate Roger Waters. “I am not interested in [a catalog sale] from a financial standpoint. I’m only interested in it from getting out of the mud bath that it has been (going) for quite a while.”

Gilmour noted that decisions related to Pink Floyd are made “on a veto system,” which often results in “three people saying yes, but one person saying no.”

Back in 2022, reports suggested that the band was close to finalizing a significant deal. However, negotiation delays and controversial political remarks from Waters halted those discussions. Despite Gilmour’s readiness, the possibility of a catalog sale seems less certain now.

In another part of the Rolling Stone interview, Gilmour avoided delving into the specifics of his ongoing disputes with Waters.

“It’s something I’ll talk about one day, but I’m not going to talk about that right now,” he insisted. “It’s boring. It’s over. As I said before, he left our pop group when I was in my 30s, and I’m a pretty old chap now, and the relevance of it is not there. I don’t really know his work since. So I don’t have anything to say on the topic.”

When asked about the strongly worded tweets he and his wife Polly Samson shared in 2023 – including Samson calling Waters “antisemitic to your rotten core” – Gilmour was straightforward.

“People talk about the battle, but to me it’s a one-way thing that’s been going on since he left with different levels of intensity,” he explained. “I agreed with [Polly’s] piece and said so. Again, that’s all. I don’t really have anything extra to add to this, any other lights to shine on that.”

Source: Rolling Stone