Oasis Reunion Tour: UK and Ireland Set to Be Flooded with Merchandise Stores
The long-awaited reunion of the Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, is finally here, and fans are eagerly anticipating the first live performance in 16 years. The first Oasis merchandise store has opened in Manchester, two weeks before the band's highly anticipated gig at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. The store, located in Spinningfields, is selling a wide range of merchandise, from £40 bucket hats to baby grows, cutlery sets, shot glasses, jigsaw puzzles, and tote bags. There will be six such stores across the UK and Ireland this summer, with others in Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, and Dublin. Fans will be able to recreate the front covers of the band's debut album, Definitely Maybe, and bestselling follow-up, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, on green screens in the store. However, those hoping to buy a signature Liam Gallagher parka will be left empty-handed as the official merch stores will add to the considerable payday for Oasis before the most highly anticipated and profitable series of shows in British music history. The shops will sell limited-edition vinyl records and represent the changing nature of music fandom. Estimates of how much Liam and Noel will earn from their sold-out reunion have ranged from £40m to £400m. Despite initial controversy over the pricing of tickets – with some sold by Ticketmaster for as much as £337.50 – fans are expected to spend £1bn on everything from beer to merch to hotel bookings in the UK and Ireland. Birmingham City University estimated last year that the brothers could earn £50m each from the initial 14 UK shows – but that was before the tour expanded to 41 globe-hopping dates. The question at the bottom of all this is: do you really need that much money? Dr Matt Grimes, the university’s course director for music business, said artists could typically expect a 50% cut from the sale of each official T-shirt, hoodie or parka, although the details of Oasis’s reported £20m merchandise deal are top secret. Adidas is also cashing in on the clamour, selling Oasis-branded football shirts (£85), bucket hats (£40), jackets (£100) and tops with a new version of its slogan: “The band with the 3 stripes.” The Gallaghers aren't the only ones making a few quid. Sales of Oasis-inspired products from independent brands have jumped 150% in the UK and 230% globally since the tour was announced last August, according to the wholesale platform Faire. Bucket hats are up 275%, parkas are back in style, and searches for Liam Gallagher-themed goods have soared fivefold. Google searches for “Oasis fashion UK” have surged 180% in the last 30 days. As the Gallaghers finally step on stage in Cardiff on 4 July, it will be 16 years since they last performed together after an acrimonious bust-up before a gig at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris in August 2009. Grimes described the comeback as one of the great global music events of recent decades, alongside world tours by Michael Jackson, Madonna and Taylor Swift. "Will it have any cultural significance? I don't know," he said. "But it will certainly be up there in terms of cultural impact."
