Oasis: No Glastonbury because fee too low?

The head of the Isle of Wight Festival, John Giddingsdeclared that the Oasis they will probably definitely refuse the offer to act as headliners at Glastonbury (Read here) due to the low compensation for the festival’s artists.

The newly reformed Britpop group have denied rumours they will be performing at Glastonbury, saying they will not be playing “any other festivals” next year and that their 2025 reunion tour will be an exclusive Oasis gig, outside of any festivals. Speaking at “Experience 25” – an exhibition celebrating the history of the IOW Fest – Giddings explained (as reported by The Mirror) that both his festival and Glastonbury “can’t afford” to have Oasis headline, “because they want the money”.

The festival’s British patron said other acts would perform at Glastonbury “for 10p”. Giddings is a music agent and promoter, and is the managing director of Solo Music Agency. He has previously worked with David Bowie and represented artists such as Lady Gaga, The Police and Simple Minds.

Glastonbury famously offers low pay to performers. In 2019, the organiser Emily Eavis revealed that the festival focuses more on investing in the venue and charitable causes, rather than making a profit or paying big fees to artists. She said that acts are paid “10%” of what they would get at any other festival. “Of course people try to save money on the venues, but that’s where we put the money, so you get these incredible venues that are like another world. But we also don’t pay big fees to the bands, so we’re competing with the big commercial festivals that pay the bands,” the organizer told the “George Ezra & Friends” podcast.

While a spot on the prestigious festival’s lineup is thought to pay off in terms of exposure, last year the singer-songwriter Nadine ShahMercury-nominated singer, said she had to turn down an offer to play Worthy Farm because of the low fees. “The rumours are false. I will NOT be playing Glastonbury,” she told X. “I would have loved to but I wasn’t offered a TV stage so I turned it down. So it’s too expensive for me otherwise.”

In another tweet he wrote: “It’s just a reality that performing live is super expensive and if you can justify the costs (like being on TV and having a wider reach) then sometimes you’ll take the opportunity. Otherwise, no, we all have bills to pay.”