Boiler Room has issued a statement regarding concerns over its new owners.
Read More: Bands on The Great Escape boycott: “Artists are realising they’re the ones with the power”
The global music platform was recently acquired by Superstruct Entertainment from ticket site DICE. Superstruct is the live entertainment company behind over 80 festivals across European and Australian electronic-focused festivals, including Mighty Hoopla, Lost Village, Field Day, Sónar, Cross The Tracks, Brunch Electronik.
It was acquired by KKR, a private equity company in 2024, which itself has faced backlash after being accused of having ties to weapons manufacturers and companies involved in the development of Israeli settlements on the West Bank, including Axel Springer, Guesty, Circor International and Advanced Navigation, according to Resident Advisor.
As a result, a number of artists – including Ikonika, Beatrice M., Mia Koden, BasicDisarm, jtamul and 8ULENTINA – cancelled Boiler Room performances in the wake of the acquisition.
The latter act also dropped “all commitments related to Superstruct-owned events”, saying they refused to be “complicit in genocide” but expressed sympathies “with workers caught up in these acquisitions beyond their control”.
Now, Boiler Room has taken to social media to state that its new owners have made investments that “categorically don’t align with our values”. It also reiterated its allegiance to pro-Palestine organisations.
The platform wrote: “Boiler Room has been through various changes in control, investors, boards, and ownership, and through this our commitment to editorial independence and Palestine has never wavered. No investor, past or present, has ever influenced our output, this will never change.
“We will always remain unapologetically pro-Palestine. We continue to adhere to BDS and PACBI guidelines regarding artist programming and brand partnerships and engage with Palestinian artists and organisers in order to formalise our internal policies in line with this commitment. We uphold international law and human rights for all, regardless of identity.”
This comes as the BDS welcomed the endorsement of Boiler Room.
“All festivals and companies owned by Superstruct Entertainment are clearly implicated in parent company KKR’s complicity in Israel’s genocide and underlying regime of settler-colonial apartheid, albeit through no fault of their own,” said BDS in a statement. “Regardless, they therefore have an undeniable and profound ethical obligation to urgently take a clear stance against that complicity.
“Grassroots boycotts and protests at Boiler Room, Flow Festival, Mighty Hoopla and Lost Village, among other Superstruct-owned events, reflect widespread support for accountability from musicians, DJs and audiences. We deeply appreciate this meaningful solidarity and organizing.”
Palestine protest. Credit: Guy Smallman/Getty
They added:”The corporate structure of global capital means this question is almost unavoidable in many contexts, beyond KKR and Superstruct. And yet, we would not reject the vocal support of, say, an artist signed to a major label that is itself indirectly implicated in Israel’s genocide. A core BDS principle is to differentiate between voluntary and involuntary complicity. The most ethical stance that an artist or organization that has little to no say in their indirect links of complicity can take is to offset that involuntary complicity by respecting BDS guidelines and speaking out for Palestinian liberation and our UN-stipulated rights.”
NME has contacted Superstruct Entertainment for comment.
Elsewhere, The Great Escape Festival had similar problems in 2024 after it partnered with Barclays, leading to over 125 artists boycotting the event.
Barclays were accused of investing in a number of companies that supply arms to Israel, following the October 7 attacks. In response, the bank claimed it is “trading in shares of listed companies in response to client instruction or demand”.
Following the boycott, it was announced that Barclays would no longer be a partner to the Brighton event.
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