Bit early for humbug
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I have often wondered if there is any real value in these huge sums paid out to aging Rock stars for their music rights. There obviously is value.
But what if some musical revolution consigns Rock music to the dustbin, like Rock and Roll did with Jazz?
Rock music I believe is slowly dying, in its classic form. When was the last great Rock group formed? My son has only a vague idea who Pink Floyd are, Gen XYZ listen to other things.
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A bit like saying Bach and Beethoven died.
The cream stays popular.
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I think it defines how you define Rock Music. Dave Grohl seems to have done okay as have many other contemporary acts such as Royal Blood who are probably beyond the scope of many here. My 30s nieces are big fans of them.
Not much you can do with an electric guitar that hasn’t already been done in rock imo - Foo Fighters just seem to shout a lot which some clearly find exciting. (Original) Pixies were the last great guitar band for me. Would love to find something modern of comparable standard. As long as Floyd pay their taxes I’ve no problem with them maximising their income.
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No it doesn’t I was just answering someone who thought him humble.
I think most Naim users have enjoyed a degree of success in their lives, otherwise they would not be able to afford these weird and wonderful boxes and cables that are just under a smidgeon of what the military pay for good cables
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Just think what they could have achieved if they had completed their courses…
Nick Mason was bemoaning last year that all his school chums became solicitors, accountants, bank managers etc. & all retired years ago on handsome pensions while he had to keep on working…
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I too am somewhat surprised that the back catalogue of ageing artists like the Floyd can be worth hundreds of millions of pounds, although I admit I am pretty clueless about the revenue streams enjoyed by bands whose heyday is long since passed.
I would imagine that albums like Dark side, the Wall and Wish you were here must still enjoy healthy sales, but it’s hard to imagine say Atom Heart Mother selling more than a thousand copies a year to completists.
I was an enormous fan of the Floyd back in my teens/20’s and bought everything they ever recorded including even the most obscure solo stuff (here’s looking at you Fictitious Sports), but the odd thing is that I rarely listen to them nowadays. It’s as if their music requires a degree of navel gazing and introspection that I really enjoyed in my youth but I can’t summon the enthusiasm for now. I guess maybe I was looking for some sort of hidden meaning to life/existence back then and they seemed to offer a means of cosmic transport to enlightenment, but perhaps now I feel that it’s a hiding to nothing and there simply is no hidden meaning. Nowadays I find myself playing music that is much more conventional. I’m curious if others have found their love for them waning with age?
They created some epic masterpieces and I agree, good luck to them for liquidating their back catalogue. I will never forget that night at Maine Road in 1987 when I saw them live for the first time on the Momentary Lapse of Reason tour - I think it probably still was the most spectacular concert of my life. I still chuckle how over-awed we all were by the lights, lasers, flame throwers and sheer immensity of the sound. As the last chord of “Run like hell” appeared to blow up the lighting rig around their circular projection screen, the entire stadium was plunged into darkness and awed into silence. After a few seconds pause my friend Ian with somber reflection turned to me and said “Well I think that was more significant than the second coming of Christ…” We all burst out laughing and it still makes me smile now to remember it. Aaah the impressibility of youth!!
JonathanG
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Great post Jonathan, I feel pretty much the same. Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis and all the rest, was the music of my youth. I still have the vinyl LP’s I bought back then. The music of that era certainly did seem to give us a sense of enlightenment, with its obscure and difficult to fathom out lyrics. The music critic who described Pink Floyd’s lyrics as “Sixth Form philosophy”, probably hit the mark.
The only music from back then, that I play occasionally is Yes. Strangely, Fragile. and Tales of Topographic Oceans, have not dated. I believe because the music was stronger than the lyrics. I now find most Prog unlistenable and dated. The music of the New Wave has fared better, and I have warmed to eighties pop somewhat. Duran Duran, were actually quite good.
My musical tastes, changed almost overnight. I heard Phil Collins of all people, playing his favourite records on a radio show. He played a track (San Lorenzo) by Pat Metheny. It was one of those moments where a piece of music stuns you. From that moment onwards, I delved ever deeper into the world of Jazz, leaving Rock behind me.
I am currently exploring the brilliant music that the UK jazz scene is producing (a bit late to the party). It is sad that some of these highly talented musicians will never enjoy a fraction of the popularity and financial success of the Gods of Rock.
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…ah, but, Summer 68 and also the lovely picture of a cow. It’s their only irresistible album…
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Great post Johnathan, having played the albums to death I did fall out of love with them but that was only short term!
I was giving Medal a spin the other day followed by disc 6 on the DSOTM box set, great stuff.
I do have to be in the mood these days for a Floyd listen but they still regularly appear in my circulation of albums!
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@JonathanG - The Floyd name, entity, corporation, whatever you want to call it, earns about $40 million annually in physical media sales, merch, licensing, streaming, image rights etc. Looked at in that light, maybe $400m isn’t so much.
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I think I’m right that the ‘publishing rights’ aren’t included within the package of rights which Sony are to buy, and the former are likely to be worth a highly tidy sum too.
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If you look at the statistics “library music” (old stuff) is a big chunk of played spotify streams. and it is increasing every year. there are almost no newly created bands these days on top500 so as a band there is not much competition. if its worth 400m? to the beancounters at Sony it apparently is … did they get paid in cash and all at once?
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Very good!
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I am a total failure………but I have kitties 
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I don’t know the specific details of how this band started, but I get the feeling they were mainly motivated by enjoyment of creating music.
If their main purpose was making money, they could’ve just got a job in the City.
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By their own admission they wanted to get laid, and to be rich. This is a pretty universal motivation for forming a band. What you can say about the Floyd is that they definitely got rich and famous by doing things their way.
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I think humans would’ve invented all these media, and the Internet without the profit motive.