CVC private equity now has a majority stake in DistroKid, music distribution

Capital and private equity continue to fly in the music and music tech industries. CVC has acquired a majority stake in the music distribution giant DistroKid, with Insight VC keeping a significant share.

POST playlist: a mix of new music for sleepless nights

For my semi-regular program POST for Refuge Worldwide this week, I focused on new releases. This highlighted Lebanon in particular and still didn’t cover the flurry of releases there, but it covered other places, too. It’s all recommended, so here’s the full playback and track listing with links.

Peter Kirn - July 8, 2026

Emotional electronics, from Mexicali’s underground beacon: four essential releases

We live in dissonant, uncertain times, and maybe our consciousness struggles if we try to make it fit square corners and easy forms. So now is a perfect time to feature long-time favorite label Facade Electronics out of northern Mexico. Their opening releases of the year, from artists dotting different parts of the world, flow into a narrative — one uncomfortable, sublime, beautiful.

Peter Kirn - June 25, 2026