Festival giant Superstruct Entertainment has acquired live music and broadcast platform Boiler Room from ticketing firm Dice.

Founded by Blaise Bellville in 2010, dance music specialist Boiler Room broadcast events spanning 120 markets last year.

“We are proud to welcome the talented team at Boiler Room, who have managed to consistently grow the platform over the last 15 years whilst maintaining a distinct cultural approach,” says Superstruct CEO Roderik Schlösser. “This partnership perfectly aligns with Superstruct’s mission to celebrate and amplify cultures through creativity, collaboration, and live entertainment. Boiler Room is in the best position it has ever been and we are excited to support them in their promising future ahead.”

Boiler Room’s team will continue to lead the business under the new ownership, bolstered by support from Superstruct’s “global resources and expertise”. In addition, Dice will remain the official ticketing partner for Boiler Room.

“As we turn 15 and enter our next stage of growth, we’re excited to be partnering with Superstruct for this chapter,” says Bellville. “We feel in good company with their roster of brands, they offer us new opportunities to grow, whilst understanding the importance of staying true to the authenticity that, at its core, is what makes Boiler Room special.”

Private equity firm CVC secured a stake in Superstruct in October last year – just weeks after KKR’s acquisition of the festival behemoth was given the green light. Fellow global investment giant KKR acquired Superstruct from Providence for €1.3 billion in June.

“Boiler Room is an incredible brand and the team is exceptional, creating cultural-defining moments time and time again”

Superstruct owns and operates over 80 music festivals across 10 countries in Europe and Australia, including Wacken Open Air, Parookaville, Tinderbox, Sónar, Øya, Benicàssim, Kendal Calling and Boardmasters.

The company was founded in 2017 by Schlosser and Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music James Barton while at Providence. Barton will be the Hotseat interview for ILMC 37.

Boiler Room, meanwhile, was previously acquired by ticketing and event discovery platform Dice in 2021.

“Boiler Room is an incredible brand and the team is exceptional, creating cultural-defining moments time and time again,” adds Phil Hutcheon, Dice CEO and founder. “It has been a hugely successful three years and they have a great future ahead with Superstruct, a company we know very well.”

It was reported last summer that Dice was in discussions to sell a “significant stake” that would value the company at hundreds of millions of dollars.

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Festival behemoth Superstruct Entertainment has announced that Ritty van Straalen is leaving the company on 1 November 2024.

Van Straalen has been the firm’s strategic advisor in the Benelux for the past year and was previously CEO of ID&T when it partnered with Superstruct in 2021.

Van Straalen first joined Dutch promoter ID&T in 2002, becoming a director of the dance music group a few years later and moving to New York to open its US office in 2013.

After three years away setting up his own business, he returned to ID&T as chief operating officer in 2019, before becoming CEO and steering ID&T through the pandemic.

At the height of the pandemic, ID&T signed a partnership agreement with Superstruct, which helped steer the company into a “safe haven” after a tough period that saw the company take out several loans, slash its workforce, and cancel its festivals, including Mysteryland, Defqon.1, Awakenings, and Milkshake.

“ID&T and Superstruct are entering the next phase of their development, and this feels like the right time to move on”

Van Straalen’s decision to leave Superstruct comes soon after it was acquired for €1.3bn by global investment giant KKR, with private equity firm CVC securing a stake in the firm earlier this week.

“After more than 20 years in various leadership roles and boards with ID&T and other international businesses, it is time to start a new chapter in my life,” he says. “ID&T and Superstruct are entering the next phase of their development, and this feels like the right time to move on.”

“Over the past few years, we have been able to continue building the company together with Superstruct, adding beautiful festival brands and various service companies to the portfolio. I look back with great pride on all we have achieved and am confident about the future of all our festivals. The future is open for me – I am looking forward to embracing a new challenge.”

Roderik Schlösser, Superstruct’s CEO, adds: “Ritty’s passion for the industry and dedication to our festival brands have not only contributed to the success of our business but also inspired others. Superstruct is grateful for Ritty’s strong commitment and valuable contributions over the years. We wish him every success with his future endeavours.”

Superstruct owns and operates over 80 music festivals across 10 countries in Europe and Australia, including Wacken Open Air, Parookaville, Tinderbox, Sónar, Øya, Benicàssim, Kendal Calling and Boardmasters. It was founded in 2017 by Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music James Barton and Roderik Schlosser while at Providence Equity, which previously owned Superstruct.

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Private equity firm CVC has secured a stake in Superstruct Entertainment just weeks after KKR’s acquisition of the festival behemoth was given the green light.

Fellow global investment giant KKR, whose interests include music company BMG, acquired Superstruct from Providence for €1.3 billion in June – a deal that was approved by the European Commission last month.

Superstruct owns and operates over 80 music festivals across 10 countries in Europe and Australia, including Wacken Open Air, Parookaville, Tinderbox, Sónar, Øya, Benicàssim, Kendal Calling and Boardmasters. It was founded in 2017 by Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music James Barton and Roderik Schlosser while at Providence.

Details of CVC’s stake have not been disclosed, but it has made past investments in musical and theatre group Stage Entertainment, as well as Formula One, Women’s Tennis and LaLiga, among others.

Private markets manager CVC, which has a network of 30 office locations throughout EMEA, the Americas and Asia, will support Superstruct as a strategic partner in the next phase of its development, with the promoter to benefit from the “combined global expertise, resources and capital of two leading investors with significant experience across the media and entertainment sector”.

“KKR and CVC will ensure that Superstruct remains at the forefront of the industry, driving innovation and setting the standards for live entertainment”

“KKR and CVC will ensure that Superstruct remains at the forefront of the industry, driving innovation and setting the standards for live entertainment,” reads a press release.

According to the firms, CVC’s investment “positions Superstruct to accelerate its mission of creating best-in-class live experiences, working closely with entrepreneurs, creative visionaries and business-minded professionals”.

CVC was named as a potential bidder for Superstruct as far back as April, prior to the launch of a formal auction process for the firm – the second-largest festival promoter in the world after Live Nation.

IQ charted the increasingly close links between the international touring industry and private equity here.

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American global investment firm KKR has acquired festival giant Superstruct Entertainment from Providence in a €1.3 billion deal.

Superstruct was founded in 2017 by Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music James Barton and Roderik Schlosser while at Providence. The company owns and operates more than 80 music festivals across 10 countries in Europe and Australia, and generates annual revenue of more than €100 million.

Its network includes Elrow (ES), Sziget (HU), Wacken Open Air (DE), Mysteryland (NL), Hideout (HR), Sonar (ES), Flow (FI), Øya (NO), Parookaville (DE) and Tinderbox (DK), while its UK interests include Y Not, Truck, Nass, Bluedot, Victorious, South West Four, Kendal Calling, Tramlines, Boardmasters and Lost Ventures – many of which were acquired when Global’s portfolio was divvied up in April 2019.

Last year, it bought majority stakes in London-based festivals Mighty Hoopla and Cross the Tracks, as well as Austria’s Snowbombing, and also acquired The Music Republic, promoter of iconic Spanish festivals Arenal Sound and Benicàssim (FIB).

“We are delighted to partner with Roderik Schlösser, James Barton and the team at Superstruct who have established themselves as a leader in delivering unparalleled live music experiences globally,” says Philipp Freise, partner and co-head of European private equity and Franziska Kayser, partner at New York-based KKR, whose existing interests include global music company BMG.

“With a robust foundation as a top-tier live entertainment platform, we see significant growth opportunities ahead for Superstruct”

“With a robust foundation as a top-tier live entertainment platform, we see significant growth opportunities ahead for Superstruct. Drawing on our strong partnership approach and experience in the digital entertainment and ticketing space, such as BMG, ProSiebenSat1, GetYourGuide, and Trainline, as well as KKR’s global resources and extensive network, we will support the company and its entrepreneurial team to bring their compelling portfolio of live event formats to a wider audience and drive further growth.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Financial Times reports it as €1.3bn, citing people familiar with the matter. Providence has an option to invest €250m into Superstruct as part of the transaction.

“The founding vision for Superstruct was to create a natural home for successful entrepreneurs, creative visionaries, and business-minded professionals in live entertainment,” say Schlösser and Barton. “We wanted to create a network of influence setting the standards for live experiences. Through our development, we are a leader in the professionalization of this industry, enabling our dedicated teams to excel in a collaborative and inspiring environment and create and deliver best-in-class events for millions of fans.

“We are proud to have secured the backing of KKR, whose expertise and network will strengthen our ability to scale and innovate in the vibrant experiential economy. We would like to thank Andrew Tisdale, Daniel Zwicky and the team at Providence for their outstanding support. Their belief in Superstruct has been fundamental to our success.”

KKR says it will “support Superstruct in its next phase of development”, noting that it is “one of the key players in a highly fragmented sector that continues to grow, expand and professionalise”. It also pledges to preserve “the creative and cultural DNA of the company”.

“We are confident that with KKR’s support, Superstruct will continue to thrive”

A formal auction process for the live behemoth – the second-largest festival promoter in the world after Live Nation – reportedly took place last month. A report by Reuters in April named Blackstone and CVC as potential bidders, with KKR, Advance Publications and EQT listed as interested parties.

Providence was said to be working alongside banks Liontree and HSBC to gauge interest after planning the sale last summer.

“We are incredibly proud of the rapid growth and success Superstruct has achieved since its inception,” adds Andrew Tisdale, senior MD, and Daniel Zwicky, director, at Providence Equity Partners. “With Providence’s backing, Superstruct has become a truly exceptional live entertainment company. In particular, we believe the company’s resilience and emergence from the global pandemic as a stronger business is testament to the entrepreneurial spirit of Roderik Schlösser, James Barton and the impressive management team.

“We are confident that with KKR’s support, Superstruct will continue to thrive.”

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A formal auction process for live behemoth Superstruct is set to be launched next month, according to a new report.

Insiders tell Reuters the Providence Equity Partners-backed firm could be valued at up to £1.5 billion (€1.75bn) in a sale. A source previously told Reuters that the company, which is the second-largest festival promoter in the world after Live Nation, generates annual revenue of more than €100 million.

Providence is said to be working alongside banks Liontree and HSBC to gauge interest after planning the sale last summer.

The report lists Blackstone and CVC as potential bidders, with Advance Publications, KKR and EQT also named as interested parties

The report lists Blackstone and CVC as potential bidders, with Advance Publications, KKR and EQT also named as interested parties. Providence, CVC, Blackstone, EQT, Advance, KKR and HSBC declined to comment on the rumours, while Superstruct and Liontree did not respond.

Superstruct was founded in 2017 by Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music James Barton and Roderik Schlosser while at Providence.

Its UK interests include Y Not, Truck, Nass, Bluedot, Victorious, South West Four, Kendal Calling, Tramlines, Boardmasters and Lost Ventures – many of which were acquired when Global’s portfolio was divvied up in April 2019.

Elsewhere in Europe, its network includes operators and festivals such as Elrow (ES), Sziget (HU), Wacken Open Air (DE), Mysteryland (NL), Hideout (HR), Sonar (ES), Flow (FI), Øya (NO) and Tinderbox (DK).

Last year, it bought majority stakes in London-based festivals Mighty Hoopla and Cross the Tracks, as well as Austria’s Snowbombing, and also acquired The Music Republic, promoter of iconic Spanish festivals Arenal Sound and Benicàssim (FIB).

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