Oasis reunion tour prices lead to fresh call for arena and stadium ticket levy to save grassroots music venues

2 September, 2024

The controversy around tickets to Oasis’ 2025 reunion shows has sparked a fresh call for arenas and stadiums to introduce a ticket levy to save grassroots music spaces.

The Britpop band announced a huge run of comeback gigs on Tuesday (August 27), dubbed Oasis Live ’25. Set to take place next summer, the trek will see Liam and Noel Gallagher perform on stage together for the first time in 16 years and is predicted to gross a staggering £400million.

Tickets went on sale over the weekend and officially sold out at 7pm. However, the entire process was far from smooth, with millions flocking to try and grab tickets and many – including Louis Tomlinson – being left disappointed after several issues arose.

For instance, even before the sale commenced at 9am, Ticketmaster crashed, and with giant queues to contend with, many were left unable to even browse ticket options in the first place.

Many fans complained about being kicked out of the queue after hours of waiting due to being mistaken for bots, and those attempting to purchase accessible tickets were unable to get through to the phone lines – despite some fans calling the designated number over 400 times.

Liam and Noel Gallagher perform with Oasis in 2002
Liam and Noel Gallagher perform with Oasis in 2002. CREDIT: Dave Hogan/Getty Images

Some who did eventually manage to get through the queues were then disappointed to see the cost of remaining tickets had increased due to Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing policy; a process which sees prices hiked up due to high demand. On Saturday, some tickets originally priced at £135 had jumped up to nearly £400, and touts have been spotted selling their tickets online for over 10-times the initial price.

Unsurprisingly, the whole experience has left many fans and politicians alike calling for a change in the way tickets to live music events are sold, and many are now using the ordeal to push arenas and stadiums to help support grassroots venues.

Earlier today (September 2), Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called for a review of “dynamic pricing” and secondary ticket sites following the scramble for Oasis tickets at the weekend. She also branded the price hikes as “incredibly depressing”.

MP Zarah Sultana promptly shared an update on X, calling for Ticketmaster to be nationalised, and MP Ian Byrne agreed by sharing: “Surge pricing is legalised ticket touting. Appalling profiteering today @TicketmasterUK. Zarah Sultana speaks for millions.”

Now, Mark Davyd, CEO of the Music Venue Trust (MVT) has weighed in, highlighting how the UK’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee have “proposed a fan-led review”. The report has already been backed by both the MVT and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and sent over to various MPs for backing.

“I have been nothing but positive about these gigs, including being positive about the chance they had to support grassroots artists, venues and promoters which has unfortunately been missed,” Davyd added. “Every ticket sold to see Oasis at Murrayfield Stadium raises an additional £2.50 from every fan to ensure the stadium can invest in the facility. A great concept.

“How much does each ticket sold invest in all the grassroots music venues facilities in Scotland?” he added, before confirming it was zero.

The push for a ticket levy on large venues comes after numerous artists and figures from the live music industry headed to Parliament earlier this year, suggesting to the UK government that there should be a mandatory £1 levy on all gigs arena-sized and above, in order to secure the future of grassroots spaces and artists.

The demand came to a head after the MVT delivered their full report into the state of the sector for 2023, showing the “disaster” facing live music, with an estimated 10 per cent of all UK grassroots venues closing last year alone.

Responding to Davyd’s tweet from earlier today, the Music Venue Trust added: “This is desperately required. As are responses to all the other recommendations in the excellent Select Committee Report. Especially the fact that these Oasis shows have contributed nothing at all to the grassroots sector economy.”

Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly, also used the tumultuous Oasis ticket sale experience to push for legal action to be taken to help “safeguard the future” of independent spaces.”

“This is such a simple mechanism and we are simply beyond the point of arguing that it cannot be enforced, when tickets are well over £100 and charges well over £10,” they wrote. “The music industry should stop kicking the can and get on with taking this practical step before it’s too late.”

“The greed is ugly and everyone can see it. There is an evidence-based solution tabled. The industry needs to save face, avoid statutory regulation and hurry up before we lose more venues, tours, promoters, artists and fans,” they continued. “The whole industry needs reviewing.”

While some have been doubtful over the proposed £1 ticket levy in the past, Enter Shikari have already proven that the concept can work without coming at any noticeable cost for either the attendees or the venues.

Last May, the Rou Reynolds-led band shared details of a 2024 run of UK tour dates, where £1 from each ticket sold was donated to the Music Venue Trust. The idea was spurred by the band’s incentive to give back to the local venues which continue to support them throughout their careers.

“Grassroots music venues in the UK are under existential threat. Every time we lose another one we lose a vital part of our culture,” explained Reynolds at the time. “Bigger venues that benefit from the productive pipeline that grassroots venues provide need to support these smaller venues, as do the artists that have come up through them. Enter Shikari stands with Music Venue Trust in their efforts to bring more solidity and community to our brilliant UK live music scene.”

Since proving successful, other bands have chosen to follow suit too, with Alien Ant Farm and CKY using their joint headline tour to impose the levy earlier this year.

Weighing in on the run of comments from MPs, music fans and Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly, the band reaffirmed their stance, writing: “There’s no excuse for arena / stadium artists and their teams not doing this.”

As well as countless fans and politicians airing out their frustrations over the “dynamic pricing” that companies like Ticketmaster can introduce for high-profile shows, other famous faces have also shown their aggravation towards the extreme prices.

Taking to X/Twitter, Stan Collymore – who formerly played for teams including Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Aston Villa and the England national football team – shared a screenshot of one Oasis ticket being sold for over £5000. After the additional fees and service charges were tallied, the amount totalled over £6,145.

“Fucking parasites,” he wrote, before going on to confirm that he opted to buy tickets for three smaller shows instead. “Absolutely zero chance. I’ve just booked Jordan Rakei at the Albert Hall, Nick Heyward at Cadogan Hall and Omar at the Jazz Cafe, £85 total for the lot.
3 great venues 3 great artists. Value for money.”

Responding to his update, the Fair Ticketing Alliance shared how MVT are supporting grassroots venues in a similar way to how the Premier League uses its profits to “support the smaller clubs that feed the talent pipeline”.

Part of the reason why MVT and more are using the Oasis reunion shows to encourage more stadiums and arenas to help support smaller venues comes as it has been revealed that only 11 of the 34 grassroots venues where Oasis had their early shows remain open today.

The band’s first tour was instrumental in helping them develop a league of devoted fans, as well as helping them develop their craft before the release of their debut album, ‘Definitely Maybe’, propelled them into the spotlight.

“Gone are 23 spaces that took a punt on a new band from Manchester who would become one of the most iconic in British music history. That’s 23 communities that aren’t getting the chance to hear the chords of the next ‘Definitely Maybe’ for the first time.

“Let’s protect the sacred live music spaces we have in the UK, ensuring that both fans and the next generation of superstars have the same opportunities @Oasis had.”

Some of the venues lost include the Angel in Bedford, Oxford’s Polytechnic, Lucifer’s Mill in Dundee and the Wherehouse in Derby.

Speaking about the rapidly declining number of grassroots venues in the country earlier this year, the MVT outlined how losing 125 music venues has led to artists having lost around 16 per cent of all opportunities to perform across the UK (around 30,000 shows) – as well a loss of around 4000 jobs in total.

English Teacher performing on stage in 2024
English Teacher performing on stage in 2024. CREDIT: Matt McNulty/Getty Images

“They delivered the message loud and clear that grassroots music venues are in crisis. The ongoing wave of closures is not just a disaster for music, performers and supporters in local communities up and down the country, but also puts at risk the entire live music ecosystem,” said Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, at the time.

“If the grassroots, where musicians, technicians, tour managers and promoters hone their craft, are allowed to wither and die, the UK’s position as a music powerhouse faces a bleak future.”

Having made an impassioned plea at a government hearing into the call for a levy earlier this year, Lily Fontaine of rising Leeds band English Teacher also told NME of her joy at the DCMS’ call for a long-term response to help artists survive and thrive.

“Struggling to make ends meet as an artist isn’t a new concept – but that doesn’t mean it’s right. I’m looking forward to seeing how, when implemented, the ticket levy will be delivered to the grassroots venues and scenes,” she said. “There’s little to be proud of coming from this island sometimes, so it’s a relief we’re at least trying to save potentially our best and coolest cultural export.”

This afternoon, following harsh criticism about the amount of fees they applied to those re-selling Oasis tickets, Twickets announced that they have made a U-turn on their stance.

The post Oasis reunion tour prices lead to fresh call for arena and stadium ticket levy to save grassroots music venues appeared first on NME.