The multi-million dollar economy of band reunions

The first sign that the sibling war between Noel and Liam Gallagher was starting to calm down came during an interview last month.

Reflecting the band’s sound, Noel told journalist John Robb: “It’s hard to explain – if I sang a song, it would sound good when [Liam] he would sing it, it would sound great.”

Hearing Noel publicly praise his brother after 16 years of insults must have turned a few heads. But few expected that just a few days later the band – who broke up in the same week in 2009 – would be dramatically reformed.

A blizzard of headlines and social media frenzy followed, cutting through the national psyche like a band. two era-defining nights at Knebworth in 1996.

And now we have a reunion. Tickets for Oasis’ comeback tour have gone on sale on Friday for pre-sale and on Saturday for general sale as fans compete to beat each other in the pre-order queue.

But why meet now?

There are several reasons – but financial incentive is definitely on the list.

“The promoters would do the deal soon and I’ve heard there’s £50m being made around the Gallagher brothers,” says Jonathan Dean of the Sunday Times. who reported first reunion tour. This £50m estimate was carried out by Birmingham City University over the first 14 terms.

“I think that’s probably true, ticket prices are higher than they used to be.

However, he notes that numbers are difficult to estimate until the full range of live performances is known.

“It’s called a world tour, but at the moment it doesn’t go further than England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland,” he notes. “It’s not going to the rest of Europe, it’s not going to America, so I think all the earnings are completely up in the air until we know how far this tour will expand.”

Birmingham City University estimates that the initial dates could potentially generate around £400m in ticket sales and other extras.

In comparison, Take That’s Progress Live tour in 2011 it brought in an estimated $185 million (£140 million).

The Spice Girls – minus Victoria Beckham – bankrupted Ticketmaster in 2019 with their 13-date tour, which grossed an estimated $78m (£60m).

Abba have been able to launch a hugely successful comeback without performing live themselves, with the digital avatars used in Abba: Voyage said to be earning $2m (£1.5m) a week in London.

But bands – including Oasis – are also likely to be drawn to the idea of ​​building their legacy as well as their bank balances.

When Blur played two nights at Wembley last year, the critical reviews were breathless.

To some, the Gallaghers’ sudden claims of a truce after years of furious barbs might cynically reflect the Sex Pistols’ 1996 reunion. Frontman John Lydon admitted at the time that although the band still hated each other, they had “he found a common thing, and that is your money”.

But while “money is king here”, says Robin Murray, music editor of Clash magazine, the timing is also probably “pretty natural”.

He notes that both Gallagher brothers have just completed their latest solo musical engagements. “There’s definitely some truth to that, that they’re just two people with a special bond who are in the right place at the right time.”

Dean notes that the Gallaghers are “very rich men anyway,” so there will be other motivations.

“I think family is key, I just think they’re older and their age has made them come together,” she says.

And their long rivalry with family ties and a shared legacy helped bring the band back together anyway, suggests music psychotherapist Katerina Georgiou.

Both Gallaghers have had solo career success. But it is Liam’s star that has risen the most in recent years. “The brothers spark off each other wonderfully and there’s always been that edge of competition,” says Dr Georgiou.

“Obviously when Liam sold out Knebworth and did the Definitely Maybe tour himself, it raised the stakes for Noel and vice versa because Noel’s move away from Liam made Liam come out to his brother.”

The pair will undoubtedly benefit from changes in the wider industry environment. Streaming wasn’t in Oasis’s heyday, but it has helped them reach new audiences in the intervening years.

Carl Smith, editor of the Official Charts Company, says that Oasis’s “timelessness transcends generations and holds up well in the streaming era”.

This echoes Dean of the Sunday Times, who says their music is accessible. “What Oasis do is simple, and I don’t mean that in a bad way, they’re songs about running away and leaving and doing your own thing and being free from the drudgery of everyday life and work, but done in a simple, slightly gritty, sing-along way.”

Before the reunion was even announced, Spotify reported that Oasis streams had increased by over 160% worldwide just based on these rumors.

A further surge following the announcement saw three of the band’s albums return to the top five on Friday’s official chart, with their greatest hits album up 332%.

Many new Oasis fans are young women – gaining younger fans is essential for the future financial security of the band.

Liam’s popularity in particular helps carry the band’s music to a new generation. Just last week, aged 51, he headlined the Reading Festival, popular with GCSE and A-Level students.

For all the heady temptations that reunions bring to artists, they can easily go wrong.

Jennifer Lopez canceled her greatest hits tour this summer halfway through its run due to poor ticket sales. Music journalist Michael Cragg, author of 90s and noughties pop book Reach for the Stars, says she has already “flooded the market” with several Netflix projects, making her music “almost an afterthought”.

And the surprise return of iconic Mancunian Oasis contemporaries The Stone Roses in 2011, after a 20-year absence, highlighted the dangers of over-promising and under-delivering. Their initial comeback dates were enthusiastically received, but the new singles fell flat and a new album never materialized.

Oasis’ comeback has so far avoided that pitfall, says The Independent’s music editor Roisin O’Connor.

The band hasn’t promised the world yet – they’re first gauging the reaction to the tour, a tour that itself was a surprise.

“There’s no indication that they’re planning to release any new music, which means there’s no risk of fans feeling disappointed if the material doesn’t live up to those earlier albums,” says O’Connor.

But that doesn’t mean the tour isn’t without risk.

For example, there is a potential threat to Oasis’ working class qualifications. If this tour becomes financially and logistically unaffordable, it could undermine that image.

Standing tickets for the Oasis tour cost around £150, but premium packages cost up to £506. Some unofficial resale tickets are going for £6,000, although the band have warned they could be cancelled.

During the Saturday sale“dynamic pricing” on Ticketmaster, where prices rise in line with demand, has set some remaining tickets at around £355 plus fees – up from £135 when sales began.

Tickets for the band’s show at Knebworth in 1996 cost about £22 – but that doesn’t account for inflation and the new era of tiered pricing.

Concerns about prices and ticket requirements too led to discussions about gatekeeping.

Some older fans feel they shouldn’t be competing for tickets with first time fans. But many argue that music doesn’t belong to anyone, it’s there for everyone to enjoy.

The cultural impact of the 2025 shows is likely to be huge, suggesting that Oasis are “already on their feet next summer,” says Dean.

The fact the band have ruled out playing Glastonbury next year is likely to increase demand for their own tour: fans have been told the only way to see them live is to buy a ticket.

The appeal of Oasis live performances is further underlined by the prospect that this will be fans’ last chance to see them.

“I think it will be seen as the latest – maybe the last – chapter in the Oasis story,” says O’Connor of the Independent.

“A moment of catharsis for fans who wanted this closure or a chance to see the band one last time and hopefully after all these years fences can be mended for Noel and Liam.

“After that, who knows.”

More reporting by Steven McIntosh