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The stars have aligned for Coldplay's finances - but the music industry needs fixing
The Independent
|September 22, 2025
I'll admit it: Coldplay set my teeth on edge. When I hear one of their tracks on the radio, I am gripped by an irresistible compulsion to play Slayer on my turntable. The fact that the band has nine Brit Awards to its name baffles me.
And yet when it comes to outstanding contributions to the British economy - if not, perhaps, to music - I really get it. The four-piece once memorably described by Oasis’s manager Alan McGee as "bedwetters” are one of our biggest export earners and, though it pains me to say it, cultural assets.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the band is set to become the world’s highest-grossing touring act, surpassing even the likes of Taylor Swift. It’s thanks in part to their 10-show residency at Wembley Stadium this summer, which broke various records, including the one previously set last year by Swift’s Eras tour.
This story is from the September 22, 2025 edition of The Independent.
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