HEADLINING Glastonbury is considered by many artists as the peak of their success – and they’re willing to cough up some cash to prove it.
The annual event, which takes place at Worthy Farm in Cornwall, has been a platform for stars to showcase their careers, launch new music, and win over new fans in the process.
Rod Stewart will appear on the Pyramid Stage this weekend[/caption]
Glastonbury is the music event of the year – with some willing to pay to be there[/caption]
Dua Lipa is reported to have fed the cost of her appearance back into her set[/caption]
But it doesn’t come cheaply – particularly when you take into account the artists pay for spectacle they bring to the stage.
While Glastonbury does not disclose how much they pay their artists, some big stars have opened up in the past about how much they earn as a result of the festival.
Rod Stewart, who is taking on the Legends slot on Sunday night, has admitted he’s going to be LOSING money in order to be there.
Speaking to RadioTimes this week, Rod said: “It’s going to cost me £300,000 to do it and they only pay you about 120,000 quid. So it’s going to cost me.”
However, he said it “doesn’t matter” as it’s considered such an honour.
The same goes for the other headliners both past and present – with The 1975, who took to the Pyramid stage to close out Friday, spent approximately FOUR TIMES the amount they were paid for their performance, according to The Telegraph.
The band’s frontman Matty Healy was seen breaking down in tears towards the end of the set, with the headline slot being a life goal for the four-piece, who started out playing in mum Denise Welch’s garage as teenagers.
Last year’s headliner Dua Lipa reportedly had to do the same to make sure her set was one to remember.
According to The Mirror, Dua was allegedly given £200,000 for her headline slot – but funnelled it into the show itself with an elaborate set, backing dancers and crew costs.
But again, she said it was worth it, saying of the festival: “”There’s something about the community and the energy at Glastonbury that is unlike anywhere else.
“There’s a real sense of togetherness and closeness, and common language. You make these unbelievable memories and you make friends, and you just have stories for the rest of your life.”
Glastonbury has noted, however, that the fee number reported is “certainly not accurate”.
Event organiser Emily Eavis has previously revealed that Glastonbury offers a fraction of the going rate in a bid to keep costs down.
The festival have also long vowed to donate a large portion of their profits to charity, with Greenpeace, WaterAid and Oxfam among those receiving cash totalling a reported £2million a year minimum.
In 2017 – ahead of that year’s festival that had Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran and Radiohead headlining – she told BBC Radio 6: “We’re really grateful for the bands that we get, because they’re basically doing it for the love of it.
“It’s probably less than 10 per cent of what they’d get from playing any of the other major British festivals, [so] Glastonbury relies completely on goodwill.”
Ultimately, the artists get money back in other ways – particularly in streaming and tour ticket sales, all of which have proven to shoot up in the wake of their Glasto appearances, especially if it’s televised.
Rod said that the cost is “worth it” to appear on the stage[/caption]
Appearing on the line-up exposes artists to thousands of potential new fans[/caption]
