Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller dismisses ‘meaningless’ streaming numbers

Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller admitted he does not look at the band’s streaming numbers ahead of their reunion tour this summer.

The girl group announced their comeback last year and quickly sold out nine arena dates, with demand so high at one point fans were waiting in an online queue of more than 700,000 people.

Fuller, who has guided the Spice Girls’ career since they formed in 1994, said he is less concerned than others with social media followings and streams achieved on platforms such as Spotify, adding, “throwing numbers around is meaningless”.

Instead, Fuller focuses on “real engagement”, including ticket sales.

He told the Press Association: “The Spice Girls are a case in point. There’s no music out, the streaming on Spice Girls, we don’t even bother looking at it because I haven’t a clue what it is, my guess is it’s not very much.

“It’s the fastest selling, biggest selling tour this year, because people engaged with them, they are engaged with them, the girls are awesome, they have a message which connects and we will sell out more stadiums, quicker, than any other artist on planet Earth. Fact, proven, we did it.”

Fuller, who created Pop Idol, said he could name acts with “over 100 million followers on Instagram who “can barely sell out an arena of 20,000 people”.

He added: “And they’re not making meaningful money from any of that. All that engagement, what they perceive as engagement, when you really analyse it, is a mist that is there, it looks impressive for a second then it disappears.”

Fuller also manages Victoria Beckham, who will not be joining her former Spice Girls band mates on tour.

Instead, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Emma Bunton and Geri Horner will perform as a four-piece.

Last year Fuller introduced the group Now United, made up of 14 acts from 14 different countries.

He and the band have joined up with Pepsi for the company’s new For The Love Of It campaign, which launches on Tuesday.