2024 - a mark in time?

[quizzaciously]

I doubt money is an issue for Mark or a motivation, it's more likely that because he has stopped touring he can do more things like this.

It certainly isn't a motivation, it never was for Mark. But it's a need, and much more so at this moment.

Actually money is not a motivation but a necessity if you think how expensive British Grove Studio is to mantein. I remember someone managed to find online the financial papers of the studio since it opened and until today, it ends every year losing money, so maybe every source of income would be good to keep the studio working, the sale of guitars he doesn't use, extra income from all stuff that was getting dust in the vaults...

And also he's making sure some of that money goes to charities, which is great too.

It's all publicly available information but you need to be a bit of an expert to decipher it:

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/04825535/filing-history

Thanks to 500 years of democracy and this level of transparency (if you're not a Russian oligarch of course) in the UK. These documents show that Mark assigned his wife as BG director, this doesn't look great in my opinion and is another sign of possible major health problems. Also, speaking of money, I took a quick look at it and it doesn't seem like a constant stream of millions of pounds of net income. No really impressive numbers there, both from BG and Dire Straits LTD, Straitjacket songs, etc.

How people can say Mark doesn't need money I don't understand. I agree money can't be his priority, though we all need to earn some cold cash to live.

[rmarques821]

Actually money is not a motivation but a necessity if you think how expensive British Grove Studio is to mantein.

He doesn't need the money. Even his income from the song publishing alone would be enough to live in the style he does.
His studio 'loses' money (technically) because he doesn't allow many people to use it.It is essentially his private studio, which he sometimes allows friends or respected others to use.
He's not putting out product because he has lost touring income. He has a studio sitting there and people like Guy looking for something to do.
It sounded like he had very little to do with the live box set, other than signing off on it.

He needs the money like I need money, like you need money, like everyone in the world needs money. Because, even though he is a multi-millionaire, he has bills he needs to pay like everyone else, with addition that his bills are much more expensive than mine or yours.
I mean, I'm not pulling stuff out of my ass. Mark himself said this many times when he's asked about money and financials. The balance sheet of BGS says it's in a net deficit position, which means that it can't operate on its own without intervention of the parent company, which is Straitjacket Songs Ltd. Which, of course, means Mark is pouring his own money into it. Is that all because he restricts the usage of his studio? Maybe. But it's irrelevant.

Now, I don't know for certain if he's putting product out because he lost the touring income, but it seems to be a very reasonable explanation. It explains why we're getting an album and an EP in the same year for the first time ever, explains the selling of the guitars, explains the return to the cash cow of DS.
But, of course, I could be wrong.

[dmg]

Another thing to note is the TV presenting he's turned his hand to.  This may or may not be a way for him to earn some income in order to run the studio.  If he's not going to be riding into the city every week now - and presumably he's not - then now may be the time to sell BG.

The pandemic has certainly had a big effect and robbed him of the Local Hero musical in London and probably some other work too. 

[dustyvalentino]

These documents show that Mark assigned his wife as BG director, this doesn't look great in my opinion and is another sign of possible major health problems.

This is a major stretch. There are all sorts of reasons for people to include family members as directors, tax, having someone you trust etc etc etc. If you were to go and look at some other company accounts in the UK you will see that it's fairly commonplace in the UK.

[rmarques821]

Another thing to note is the TV presenting he's turned his hand to.  This may or may not be a way for him to earn some income in order to run the studio.  If he's not going to be riding into the city every week now - and presumably he's not - then now may be the time to sell BG.

The pandemic has certainly had a big effect and robbed him of the Local Hero musical in London and probably some other work too.

I don't think he will ever sell BGS. He would probably sell his house and reform DS for a reunion tour first than sell BGS 

[dmg]

Another thing to note is the TV presenting he's turned his hand to.  This may or may not be a way for him to earn some income in order to run the studio.  If he's not going to be riding into the city every week now - and presumably he's not - then now may be the time to sell BG.

The pandemic has certainly had a big effect and robbed him of the Local Hero musical in London and probably some other work too.

I don't think he will ever sell BGS. He would probably sell his house and reform DS for a reunion tour first than sell BGS 

He probably wouldn't, but if it's running at a loss and he's not using it or going there and sold so many guitars, then perhaps it would be for the best financially speaking.

 

[dustyvalentino]

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01073534/officers

David Gilmour added his wife as a director, oh no, he must be ill, maybe he caught AIDS off MK.

[rmarques821]

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01073534/officers

David Gilmour added his wife as a director, oh no, he must be ill, maybe he caught AIDS off MK.

That is very common, not only in the UK. Usually for tax reasons.

[Robson]

"It explains why we're getting an album and an EP in the same year for the first time ever"

He simply wrote a lot of songs 

[quizzaciously]

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01073534/officers

David Gilmour added his wife as a director, oh no, he must be ill, maybe he caught AIDS off MK.

That is very common, not only in the UK. Usually for tax reasons.

"I think what we've had is an embarrassment of riches, really" – Mark Knopfler

 

[rmarques821]

It explains why we're getting an album and an EP in the same year for the first time ever,

He simply wrote a lot of songs 

Yes, it could be. But he also wrote tons of songs for Privateering and Tracker and we never got a separate EP.
I'm not complaining, I think it's great for us fans, that we get more material to enjoy!  I was just trying to answer the question of the OP.

[quizzaciously]

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01073534/officers

David Gilmour added his wife as a director, oh no, he must be ill, maybe he caught AIDS off MK.

That is very common, not only in the UK. Usually for tax reasons.

I know it's common. However, a close friend of our family recently did the same (added his wife as a director) and died of cancer in December. Reasons can be different, it's strange to just jokingly cut off my concerns for Mark's health. As if we all don't know he's not feeling perfectly well lately.

[ds1984]

I think we should be cautious on the matter.

Of course Mark need to pay the bill and he has to have incomes to do so.

But we basic fan aren't in the know of all Mark's sources of incomes, are we?

Was Mark selling his guitars to fuel BGS deficit?
Well he donated a quarter of the raised money to charities 
The way Mark is dealing with BGS loosing money is definitively out of our scope.
All we know is that Mark doesn't earn money with it, that it even cost him some and that is all!

It is easy to make assumption but that lend to nowhere unless someone dare to interview Mark on the subject... and he answers to it large and open.

[qjamesfloyd]

I really doubt Mark has any money problems!! He has multiple avenues of income stream, and I am sure he has made lots of investments. Let's leave Mark to worry about his own money and concentrate on the music

[Chris W]

Mark has a property portfolio. No doubt his advisors recommended investment schemes, off shore trust funds and all manner of financial safeguards while Mark was selling millions of albums and doing sell out stadium tours.
Trust me, he never needs to work again. I knew a guy who wrote a couple of hit songs for Michael Jackson and Tina Turner and he never needed to work ever again. Mark is way above that level.