Duran Duran have admitted that the band have managed to survive the music industry after nearly 50 years, due to them all being paid equally.
In a new interview with ITV News, frontman Simon Le Bon opened up about how the iconic ’80s band have managed to maintain their core line-up, which consists of him, John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Nick Rhodes.
He said: “We like each other, we like working together. We rely on each other for musical ideas, as well. We split all the income equally; it doesn’t matter if you write something or if you don’t write on it, you get an equal share of the publishing.
“That way, everybody is happy and only the best material gets on the album. It means there’s no resentment for financial reasons. I don’t know how many other bands do that.”
Duran Duran. Credit: Alan Gelati
His comments come ahead of their BST Hyde Park 2026 headline show in London Sunday July 5. Any remaining tickets can be purchased here.
Duran Duran previously topped the bill at BST Hyde Park in 2022. They had initially been announced for the 2020 edition, which was ultimately cancelled because of the COVID-19 apandemic.
The band – who have sold over 100 million records, been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and won Grammy and BRIT Awards – recently revealed that they will not play at Glastonbury unless they are one of the headliners.
“Well, we want to – but not in a disco tent at 3pm, which is what we were offered,” the frontman, Le Bon, said. “We want the right slot… We shouldn’t be below anybody on the bill. So, we’ll hold out because we’re a headline act – that’s all there is to it.”
In 2023, the band expressed similar sentiments when speaking to NME about the chances of them playing Glastonbury. “I’d love to [do it] – we just need to get the right slot, that’s all,” Le Bon said.
“We have had the chance to do it before, but it wasn’t playing the main stage and I think we’d like to be doing that for sure,” he added. “I’m sure we’re in negotiations [with Glastonbury], and if not, we will be.”
Their last live dates in the UK were in October last year, and before then they headlined the closing night of Latitude 2024 and played at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.
They are also set to hit the road for an arena tour of the UK later this year. You can find all the dates here and purchase any remaining tickets here.
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