Distrokid to be Sold in $2B Acquisition

Philip Kaplan, founder of Distrokid

Music distribution platform, Distrokid, is on the brink of being acquired by private investment firm CVC Capital Partners for around $2,000,000,000. This deal is expected to close by third quarter of this year and will fall into CVC’s long standing entertainment portfolio. In international entertainment markets, CVC Capital Partners also has a sizable investment in Superstruct Entertainment - the live events group. Superstruct operates over 80 music festivals across Europe and Australia including Wacken Open Air and Sónar. CVC’s portfolio also cover entities like Stage Entertainment, Formula One racing, and Spain’s LaLiga soccer league. The firm manages over $238B in assets across their investments. Insight Partners, a minority stake owner in Distrokid, will retain their stake in the platform as well.

Distrokid handles roughly 30%-40% of new music releases globally and the platform holds over 2M artists worldwide. The platform itself charges artists and flat subscription rate and allows the retention of 100% of royalties. The platform itself was valued around $1.3B in August of 2021. Founded in 2013 by Philip Kaplan, Distrokid has developed the necessary tools for artists to distribute their music effectively offering tools like video distribution, instant mastering, D2C models, and on-demand merchandising. Most independent artists see it as an essential platform which can explain how this fits so well with CVC’s interest in the world of music. Expect this $2B acquisition to be completed by late September 2026. The music world still awaits news on what plans CVC holds for the distribution platform, but we do know Philip Kaplan will remain President of the company and he will maintain his leadership team.