Admission of Severe Financial Difficulties During Final Tour (critical) Robert Fripp, the band's leader, revealed in an interview that the band experienced significant 'financial difficulties' during their final tour (2021), stating that the group 'could have bankrupted' during the process. This indicates severe financial strain related to core operations shortly before the band ceased activity.. Settlement of Royalty Lawsuit over Kanye West Sample (high) Declan Colgan Music Ltd (the copyright holder for King Crimson) settled a lawsuit with Universal Music Group (UMG) over royalty payments related to Kanye West's 2010 track 'Power,' which samples King Crimson’s '21st Century Schizoid Man.' The settlement was reached out of court, narrowly avoiding a trial scheduled to begin that week.. Systemic Operational Instability and Acrimonious Personnel Exits (high) The band has a persistent history of internal conflict and sudden dissolution, driven primarily by leader Robert Fripp. Incidents include: Fripp disbanding the group in 1974, declaring it 'completely over for ever and ever'; bassist Gordon Haskell quitting 'acrimoniously' in 1971; Fripp disbanding the 1980s lineup (1984), with member Adrian Belew learning of the split via a magazine; and Bill Bruford leaving in 1997 due to 'longstanding friction and disagreements' with Fripp. This pattern of conflict culminated in the band ceasing activity in December 2021, with Fripp commenting they had 'moved from sound to silence.'