Photo agencies are set to boycott the remainder of the Oasis reunion tour, including the highly anticipated homecoming show in Manchester this Friday. The decision stems from restrictions enforced by the band’s management regarding how newspapers, magazines, TV broadcasters, and digital publishers can use images from the performances.
According to the band’s management, they will own the rights to photographs taken during the concerts for only one year, after which the images will lose their licensing for any future use. This contrasts sharply with standard practice in the industry, where agreements typically allow independent photographers to retain rights indefinitely for use in retrospectives and future coverage.
The News Media Coalition (NMC)—representing major national newspaper groups, including Guardian News & Media, the Telegraph, the Sun, and others—filed a complaint prior to the Cardiff gig when negotiations to improve the terms broke down. The NMC also includes prominent photo agencies like Thomson Reuters, Associated Press, Getty Images, and more.
NMC CEO Andrew Moger emphasized that publishers have historically created news photos for immediate coverage and future use. He stated, “News agencies want to cover the tour from Cardiff to Brazil, but the inability to share images beyond the initial timeframe complicates editorial planning.”
While the NMC accepted the stringent terms for the first two gigs in Cardiff, they have now decided to abstain from covering the remaining 39 shows, both in the UK and internationally, due to unsuccessful further negotiations. Initially, the proposed agreement only allowed a month of rights to the photos.
Moger pointed out that these “highly unusual” restrictions would adversely affect independent news agencies both in the UK and abroad, as well as publishers and broadcasters who rely on images for their reports. He noted that the reunion concerts acknowledge the role of publishers in the band’s history, representing years of headlines that have fueled public interest.
With the reunion concerts featuring a visual montage of the band’s journey, Moger remarked, “Now is not the time for the band to request invisibility from news organizations.”
This situation is just the latest controversy surrounding the much-anticipated tour, which marks the first time Noel and Liam Gallagher have performed together in 16 years. Recently, the UK competition watchdog contacted Ticketmaster, threatening legal action over ticket sales practices, amidst reported concerns of misleading pricing.
Oasis has yet to respond to these developments.
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