Never underestimate the power of a bucket hat, a parker and Nineties nostalgia – Oasis stars Noel and Liam Gallagher have made The Sunday Times’ annual Rich List.
The musical brothers reunited after 15 years for a record-breaking UK-wide Oasis tour in July, with more than 10 million fans from 158 countries queuing online in the hope of securing tickets.
While the siblings have famously fallen out over the years, putting their feud aside has literally paid off for them. According to The Sunday Times, Noel and Liam Gallagher have a combined net worth of £375m – putting them at number 11 on the list of the richest people in UK music.
They are thought to have taken home over £50m from ticket and merchandise sales off the back of the tour, which comprised of 41 dates across 17 cities. Trade magazine Pollstar reported that the tour made over £297m. The Independent has contacted Liam and Noel Gallagher for comment.
Ranking higher up on the list of wealthy music stars are Glastonbury Festival organiser Emily Eavis and her family at number 10 (with £400m), while Ed Sheeran (£410m), Rolling Stones musicians Keith Richards (£450) and Sir Mick Jagger (£450m), Sir Elton John (480m) and Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber (£516m) overtake them.
Sir Paul and Lady Nancy McCartney (£1.055bn) are in fourth place and theatre producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh (£1.4bn) is in third, while record executive Clive Calder (£3.25bn) and Warner Music Group owner Sir Leonard Blavatnik (£26.9bn) top the list.
Oasis broke records with their highly anticipated tour last year, with it proving to be the biggest sale in Ticketmaster history – however, it proved to be controversial. Many fans were left outraged after having to pay more than double the face value of tickets after queuing for hours, and accused the company of using dynamic pricing, where demand levels can fluctuate and lead to surges in price.
As a result, the watchdog Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigated Ticketmaster, resulting in the company committing to make changes that will give fans more information before and during their purchase of concert tickets.
“Fans who spend their hard-earned money to see artists they love deserve to see clear, accurate information, upfront,” the CMA’s chief executive, Sarah Cardell, said in September. “We can’t ensure every fan gets a ticket for events as popular as the Oasis tour, but we can help ensure that next time an event like this comes along, fans have the information they need, when they need it.”
Those who missed out on tickets for the tour will get to see the brothers’ reunion on the big screen; Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is directing a documentary about the tour. Teasing the upcoming film, he said: “It’s phenomenal. It’s a documentary with a plot – do you know what I mean? It’s actually got a story… it’s been great, [the band have] been great, they’re fantastic to work with.”
