DistroKid Acquired by CVC Capital Partners

Private capital behemoth CVC Capital Partners has reached an agreement with DistroKid to acquire a majority stake in the indie distribution platform, the companies announced on Monday (July 6).

Insight Partners, a longtime investor in DistroKid, will retain a significant minority stake, and DistroKid President Phil Bauer will continue to lead the company and its existing leadership team, according to a press release. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though MBW reported in January that DistroKid was exploring a sale at a valuation of around $2 billion.

“We’ve been incredibly impressed by what Phil and the entire DistroKid team have built,” Sebastian Künne, partner at CVC Capital, said in a statement. “DistroKid has earned the trust of millions of artists by staying focused on what they need most. We look forward to partnering with Phil and his team, drawing on our experience across music, entertainment and consumer subscription businesses to help DistroKid support the next generation of artists around the world.”

Founded in 2013, DistroKid distributes roughly “40% of all new music in the world,” according to the release. It added that around 4 million artists, from bedroom musicians to international stars, use its audio and video distribution services, with DistroKid processing around 45 million songs to date.

“DistroKid has transformed how independent artists share their music with the world,” said Deven Parekh, managing director at Insight Partners. “We’re proud of our partnership with Phil and the DistroKid team and are excited to continue supporting the company alongside CVC.”

CVC has approximately 209 billion euros ($239 billion) in assets under management; it invests in strategies in private equity, credit and infrastructure. In 2024, it invested alongside KKR in European music festival operator Superstruct, which organizes some 80 festivals, including Hungary’s Sziget and the world’s largest heavy metal festival, Germany’s Wacken Open Air.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and The Raine Group served as financial advisors to DistroKid in the transaction.