James Barton, co-founder of Europe’s largest independent festivals group Superstruct Entertainment, has resigned less than 18 months after its $1.4B acquisition by investment fund KKR.
In an emotional note to staff sent today (December 16) and obtained by MBW, Barton confirmed that he would be resigning from the Superstruct board at the end of 2025.
The British exec told his colleagues: “The past nine years — building this company and watching it grow, with all its highs… and occasional lows — have been nothing short of remarkable. Sharing that journey with you has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my career and my life.”
Serial entrepreneur Barton started in the music business by co-founding legendary Liverpool dance club Cream. That spawned the highly successful Creamfields festival, which he later sold to Live Nation.
Barton then spent five years at Live Nation in LA as President of Electronic Music before striking out on his own with Superstruct Entertainment alongside co-founder Roderick Schlosser.
Barton and Schlosser launched London-headquartered Superstruct in 2017 with backing from Providence Equity Partners.
Since then, Superstruct has acquired 80 independent festivals, including such fixtures of the European festival scene as Sonar (Spain), Sziget (Hungary), Zwarte Cross (Netherlands), Wacken and Parookaville (Germany), and Field Day and Lost Village (UK).
Providence announced that it had sold Superstruct to US investment group KKR in June 2024.
At the time, Providence’s Andrew Tisdale and Daniel Zwicky said: “We believe [Superstruct’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.”
Yet earlier this year, Superstruct found itself at the centre of global controversy when over 100 artists publicly boycotted the firm’s festivals in protest against KKR’s purported economic interests in Israel.
In April, a different collection of over 50 artists, including Brian Eno and Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack, signed a letter calling on the UK’s Field Day to publicly distance itself from KKR’s investments.
Barton’s co-founder in Superstruct, Roderick Schlosser, left the company earlier this year.
Barton was widely expected to follow him in the coming months, but it is understood to have accelerated his departure following the arrival of KKR-appointed CEO Alex Mahon, formerly CEO of UK public broadcaster Channel 4.
You can read Barton’s note to staff sent today (December 16), and obtained by MBW, below:
Dear friends, colleagues, and fellow founders,
I’m writing to share the news that I will be leaving the company and resigning from the Superstruct board at the end of the year.
Stepping away from something you’ve poured so much of yourself into is never easy. It has been a tough decision to make, but I know it’s the right moment for me to move on.
The past nine years — building this company and watching it grow, with all its highs… and occasional lows — have been nothing short of remarkable. Sharing that journey with you has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my career and my life.
Live entertainment is a tough business, but festivals are a world of their own — creative, magical, demanding, and deeply human. Creating them, nurturing their communities, and protecting what makes them special takes more than hard work. It takes heart. As I’ve often said, you can own a business, but you can’t own a culture. You have to inspire it, live it, and earn it every day. And that’s exactly what you’ve done.
Thank you for believing in the simple but powerful idea of building a home for independent festival and event creators. None of us could have imagined just how far it would take us, or how much it would shape us. You should be incredibly proud of what you’ve built together and be excited for what you will continue to build in the future.
It has been an honour — truly — to stand alongside you and I wish you all the very best for the future.
JamesMusic Business Worldwide
