Who are the owners of Boiler Room? Online music broadcaster responds to artist cancellations over ownership

Boiler Room, a music event organizing platform, is currently owned by Superstruct Entertainment, whose parent company is KKR, a private equity firm with ties to Israeli West Bank settlements—illegal under international law—as well as military companies such as Axel Springer, Guesty, Circor International, and Advanced Navigation. The platform was previously owned by DICE, which recently sold it to Superstruct Entertainment.

Due to these ties with Israeli companies and illegal West Bank settlements, artists who support Palestine and its people have been canceling their shows with Boiler Room. Artists such as Beatrice M., Mia Koden, BasicDisarm, and more have withdrawn following the announcement of the platform's sale to Superstruct Entertainment.

In response to these cancellations, the platform has released a statement regarding the change in ownership, pointing out that actual members of the platform had no control over the sale and reaffirming its commitment to being pro-Palestine. The statement is given in full below:

"In September 2021, the platform was acquired by DICE. All prior investors were removed from the business, and a new board was formed. At this point, DICE owned 100% of the company. "

The statement details the current situation:⁠

"In January 2025, DICE sold Boiler Room to Superstruct, the 2nd largest festival group in the world and who are themselves owned by KKR, which has investments that categorically do not align with our values. No Boiler Room staff at any level held any ownership or voting rights in the company and had no control over the sale."

The statement continues:

"We are also unable to divest because we have no say in our ownership.⁠ 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."

The statement goes on: ⁠

"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."

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Boiler Room has faced criticisms before surrounding Palestine and Israel

The current backlash from artists is not the first time the platform has faced criticisms over its stance regarding Palestine and Israel. One of the more stringent criticisms directed at the platform in recent years stems from its long association with Noam Ohana.

Ohana was a former Israeli commando who allegedly took part in Israeli military actions against refugee camps (which is forbidden under international law) during the Second Intifada.

In a statement back in 2021 to New Arab, the platform's founder, Blaise Bellville, defended the company and its association with Ohana, stating:

"No investor or board member has ever given Boiler Room artistic or political direction, nor attempted to influence or censor what we do. And no investor or board member acts as a spokesperson for us as a company..."

Noam Ohana left the platform shortly before it was purchased by DICE, the ticketing company, which has now sold the platform to a company with ties to Israel's military industry—an industry accused of supporting Israel's alleged genocidal campaign in Gaza.

The platform has also faced criticism for retracting or modifying statements about Palestine. Additionally, it has been criticized for other issues, including the whitewashing of Black culture and its ties to large corporations.