A Copenhagen-based music collective have been forced to change their name after legal action from Boiler Room.
The non-profit Danish group had been operating under the name Spoiler Room since 2022, but they were issued with a cease-and-desist notice from lawyers representing the global music platform and events promoter Boiler Room.
Spoiler Room has hosted hundreds of underground artists since its founding four years ago and has become a space for emerging acts to share and workshop their demos and works in progress, becoming an established part of the Copenhagen music scene.
They have said the legal action from Boiler Room concerned alleged infringement of the latter’s trademarks, and they were threatened with further legal challenges if they did not change their name.
The organisation now operates as SPOILR, and its founder Lewis Parker has said: “It’s upsetting to get bullied by a huge corporation in this manner. It makes you feel paralyzed. When I read the letter, I sat there feeling the pressure of their multi-billion-dollar investment firm on my shoulders.”
On Sunday (April 12), SPOILR called for support as they attempt to cover the legal and administrative costs of the change. See the appeal above.
“We don’t shape what we do on the work of Boiler Room, nor do we wish to be associated with them,” the post read. “I just always thought the name ‘Spoiler Room’ was fun and accurate for a place where artists come and ‘spoil’ their demos. But according to their lawyers, we are piggybacking off Boiler Room’s reputation.”
NME has contacted Boiler Room for comment.
Boiler Room was acquired by Superstruct Entertainment last year, a live entertainment company that is also behind many major music festivals, including Mighty Hoopla, Field Day and Lost Village.
Superstruct was itself acquired by the private equity firm KKR in 2024, and that company has faced a backlash over accusations of ties to weapons manufacturers and corporations involved in the development of Israeli settlements on the West Bank.
A number of artists cancelled their Boiler Room performances as a result of the controversy, with some saying they refused to be “complicit in genocide”.
Boiler Room later addressed the issue, clarifying that KKR had investments that “categorically do not align with our values”. It added: No Boiler Room staff at any level held any ownership or voting right in the company and had no control over the sale. We are also unable to divest because we have no say in our ownership.”
