Oasis reunion tour promises staggering revenues for each Gallagher sibling
FIFTEEN years after their explosive split, British music legends Liam and Noel Gallagher are reuniting for an Oasis tour that promises not only Britpop nostalgia but also staggering revenues.
While Liam has insisted that money is 'way down the list' of reasons for the feuding brothers' reunion, British press reports have suggested that each sibling could pocket around £50 million (S$87 million).
Matt Grimes, a music industry expert at Birmingham City University, offered a slightly more conservative estimate of around £40 million per Gallagher for the 17 UK dates alone.
Oasis, whose hits include Wonderwall, Don't Look Back in Anger and Champagne Supernova, kick off the reunion tour on Jul 4 in Cardiff before playing several dates in their home city of Manchester the following week.
Almost 1.4 million tickets have been sold for the UK shows, generating an estimated £240 million, according to Barclays bank.
And that is just the beginning.
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Merchandise sales, from T-shirts and puzzles to baby clothes and tableware, plus six pop-up shops across the UK and Ireland could push total revenue to around £400 million, Grimes said.
The 24 concerts outside the UK, including in Buenos Aires, Chicago, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto, will drive revenues even higher.
Chaotic scramble for tickets
Still, the money from the return of Oasis is dwarfed by Taylor Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour, which grossed US$2.2 billion from ticket sales alone across 149 shows worldwide.
It was 'a much bigger logistical event or sets of events than Oasis are proposing', Grimes said.
There was a chaotic scramble for prized Oasis tickets when they went on sale in August last year.
But fans were left outraged by exorbitant ticket costs that saw sudden price hikes – known as dynamic pricing – based on overwhelming demand, in some cases from £150 to £350.
Ticketmaster, one of the official sales websites, said that the pricing decision was made by the 'tour organiser'.
Oasis pointed the finger at their promoter.
The Gallagher brothers' promotional plan, however, was minimal: two posts on social media – one to tease, the other to confirm.
'The fact that they announced a reunion after many, many years of 'will they, won't they' is enough to make the press interested,' Chris Anderton, professor of cultural economics at the University of Southampton, told AFP.
£1 billion economic boost
For Oasis there is no new album to promote, just classics to revive.
'In the 1970s, even maybe the 1980s, you went on tour to sell albums,' Anderton said. 'Now you go on tour to make money and the album is something on the side – if you make one at all.'
Definitely Maybe, released 30 years ago, climbed back to the top of UK sales charts on the back of the reunion tour announcement.
Each Oasis concertgoer will spend an average of £766 on tickets and outgoings such as transport and accommodation, according to Barclays.
That is set to inject £1 billion into the British economy.
Two key shifts help explain the rise of mega-tours, said Cecile Rap-Veber, managing director at the French artists' rights group Sacem.
On one hand, streaming 'doesn't bring in as much money as the CD era', prompting artists to look at how to make money elsewhere, she said.
On the other, 'the public's appetite for live shows' surged after the lockdown years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Those factors make fans more willing to spend big.
Grimes sums up the choice: 'Do I go to... Spain or maybe the south of France for a week's holiday that's going to cost me £600? Or do I go and see my favourite band?' AFP
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Business Times
7 hours ago
- Business Times
Oasis reunion tour promises staggering revenues for each Gallagher sibling
FIFTEEN years after their explosive split, British music legends Liam and Noel Gallagher are reuniting for an Oasis tour that promises not only Britpop nostalgia but also staggering revenues. While Liam has insisted that money is 'way down the list' of reasons for the feuding brothers' reunion, British press reports have suggested that each sibling could pocket around £50 million (S$87 million). Matt Grimes, a music industry expert at Birmingham City University, offered a slightly more conservative estimate of around £40 million per Gallagher for the 17 UK dates alone. Oasis, whose hits include Wonderwall, Don't Look Back in Anger and Champagne Supernova, kick off the reunion tour on Jul 4 in Cardiff before playing several dates in their home city of Manchester the following week. Almost 1.4 million tickets have been sold for the UK shows, generating an estimated £240 million, according to Barclays bank. And that is just the beginning. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up Merchandise sales, from T-shirts and puzzles to baby clothes and tableware, plus six pop-up shops across the UK and Ireland could push total revenue to around £400 million, Grimes said. The 24 concerts outside the UK, including in Buenos Aires, Chicago, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto, will drive revenues even higher. Chaotic scramble for tickets Still, the money from the return of Oasis is dwarfed by Taylor Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour, which grossed US$2.2 billion from ticket sales alone across 149 shows worldwide. It was 'a much bigger logistical event or sets of events than Oasis are proposing', Grimes said. There was a chaotic scramble for prized Oasis tickets when they went on sale in August last year. But fans were left outraged by exorbitant ticket costs that saw sudden price hikes – known as dynamic pricing – based on overwhelming demand, in some cases from £150 to £350. Ticketmaster, one of the official sales websites, said that the pricing decision was made by the 'tour organiser'. Oasis pointed the finger at their promoter. The Gallagher brothers' promotional plan, however, was minimal: two posts on social media – one to tease, the other to confirm. 'The fact that they announced a reunion after many, many years of 'will they, won't they' is enough to make the press interested,' Chris Anderton, professor of cultural economics at the University of Southampton, told AFP. £1 billion economic boost For Oasis there is no new album to promote, just classics to revive. 'In the 1970s, even maybe the 1980s, you went on tour to sell albums,' Anderton said. 'Now you go on tour to make money and the album is something on the side – if you make one at all.' Definitely Maybe, released 30 years ago, climbed back to the top of UK sales charts on the back of the reunion tour announcement. Each Oasis concertgoer will spend an average of £766 on tickets and outgoings such as transport and accommodation, according to Barclays. That is set to inject £1 billion into the British economy. Two key shifts help explain the rise of mega-tours, said Cecile Rap-Veber, managing director at the French artists' rights group Sacem. On one hand, streaming 'doesn't bring in as much money as the CD era', prompting artists to look at how to make money elsewhere, she said. On the other, 'the public's appetite for live shows' surged after the lockdown years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Those factors make fans more willing to spend big. Grimes sums up the choice: 'Do I go to... Spain or maybe the south of France for a week's holiday that's going to cost me £600? Or do I go and see my favourite band?' AFP
Straits Times
2 days ago
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London museum opens vast ‘on-demand' storehouse to public
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It belongs to everybody, and everyone should be able to have free, equitable and meaningful access to it. 'So, this is a world first. Never has anyone been able to be invited freely, without having to book into the same space as a national collection, on this scale.' One-fifth of the museum's total collection is now available to be viewed and enjoyed in the four-storey building on the former site of the 2012 London Olympic Games. No protective glass British drummer Keith Moon's drum kit is among some 250,000 objects available to the public for viewing. PHOTO: AFP 'It's fantastic, it's so much better than an ordinary museum,' said retired physics teacher Jane Bailey as she toured the floors. 'I'm just really, really impressed by it. We've only just heard about it, but it's phenomenal.' 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PHOTO: AFP All the works are available to the public seven days a week, and can be reserved via an online booking system for a private viewing at a date and time of your choice. Members of staff are on hand paying close attention as visitors don purple gloves and satisfy their curiosity, spending time with the object of their choice. A love letter to objects It is a huge departure from the usual admonishment of 'Don't touch!' found in most museums seeking to protect their objects from damage. Dr Haseldine acknowledged 'we have certainly met with some levels of scepticism and worry'. But she said once the idea was explained properly, including how meaningful it is to start to open up and give collections back to a community, 'people just start to think creatively about how we can do this'. American national Manuel Garza, who lives in London, thought the V&A Storehouse was 'one of the most interesting spaces that just opened up here in London'. One-fifth of the V&A museum's total collection is now available to be viewed at the V&A East Storehouse, which is in the four-storey building on the former site of the 2012 London Olympic Games. PHOTO: AFP Dr Haseldine said 'this building is a love letter to objects'. 'To be able to see around the back of an object, to be able to look inside a dress, to be able to see the bottom of a pot – all these things are how we really learn about our material culture,' she added. A Glastonbury Festival painted bin at the V&A East Storehouse. PHOTO: AFP Expert Kate Hill, who teaches cultural history at Lincoln University, said it is unusual for museums to open up their storehouses. 'Most of the time, they offer some 'behind-the-scene' tour, but their objets are not accessible. It's visible, but not accessible.' Ms Bailey said: 'I would hope that this is the museum of the future because some are very, very stuffy. We went to one recently and it was excruciating.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
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