Isle of Wight Festival boss John Giddings recently stated that Oasis are likely to reject an offer to headline Glastonbury due to the festival’s low artist fees.
Oasis to reject headliner?
In August, the newly-reformed Britpop group shut down reports about a potential slot at Glastonbury and said they would not be appearing at “any other festivals next year”, with their 2025 reunion tour existing as their exclusive performances.
While speaking at ‘Experience 25’ – an exhibition celebrating the history of the IOW Fest – Giddings explained via The Mirror that both his own festival and Glastonbury “can’t afford” to have Oasis as headliners anyway, “because they want money”.
However, the festival boss stated that other acts would perform at Glastonbury “for 10p”. Giddings is a music agent and promoter and serves as the managing director of Solo Music Agency. He has previously worked for the likes of David Bowie, and represented artists such as Lady Gaga, The Police, and Simple Minds.
Glastonbury offers low pay for artists. Back in 2019, organiser Emily Eavis revealed how the festival focuses more on investing in the site and charitable causes, rather than turning a profit or paying artists big fees. She shared that they pay artists “10 per cent” of what they’d get from any other festival.
“Obviously people would try and save money on the areas, but we put all the money into the areas so you do get these incredible areas that are just like another world. But then we also don’t pay the bands big fees, and so we’re competing with really big commercial festivals who pay bands,” she told the George Ezra & Friends podcast.
Though a slot on the prestigious festival’s lineup is thought to pay off in the exposure it brings, last year, Mercury-nominated singer-songwriter Nadine Shah shared that she had to decline an offer to play at Worthy Farm due to low fees.
