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James Barton to step down from Superstruct
James Barton, co-founder of Superstruct Entertainment, has confirmed he will step down from the company’s board at the end of 2025, less than 18 months after the European festival group was acquired by investment firm KKR.
In a note to staff sent on December 16, Barton said he would be resigning from his board role following nearly a decade building the business. Reflecting on his time at the company, he described the period as a significant professional milestone and thanked colleagues for their role in Superstruct’s growth.
Barton co-founded London-headquartered Superstruct Entertainment in 2017 alongside Roderick Schlosser, with backing from Providence Equity Partners. Since its launch, the group has grown rapidly through acquisitions and now includes around 80 festivals across Europe, among them Sónar (Spain), Northside Festival (Denmark) Zwarte Cross (Netherlands), Wacken and Parookaville (Germany), and Field Day and Lost Village (UK).
Prior to Superstruct, Barton was a co-founder of Liverpool dance club Cream, which later expanded into the Creamfields festival brand before being sold to Live Nation. He subsequently spent five years at Live Nation in Los Angeles as President of Electronic Music.
Providence Equity Partners sold Superstruct to KKR in June 2024 in a transaction valued at approximately $1.4bn. At the time, Providence partners Andrew Tisdale and Daniel Zwicky cited the company’s resilience and management team as key drivers of the investment, stating their confidence that the business would continue to grow under KKR’s ownership.
In 2025, Superstruct attracted public attention following criticism from artists over KKR’s wider investment portfolio. More than 100 artists announced boycotts of Superstruct-owned festivals earlier in the year, while a separate open letter signed by over 50 artists, including Brian Eno and Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack, called on the UK’s Field Day festival to distance itself publicly from KKR’s investments.
Barton’s co-founder Roderick Schlosser exited the company earlier in 2025. Barton had been expected to follow, and his departure is understood to have been brought forward following the appointment of KKR-backed CEO Alex Mahon, formerly chief executive of UK broadcaster Channel 4.
Superstruct Entertainment continues to operate its portfolio of festivals across Europe under its existing management structure.