Academy Music Group
Academy Music Group is a owner-operator of music venues in the United Kingdom. They operate a number of medium-sized venues, the majority of which took the name Carling Academy after their sponsor Carling. Some of these also contain smaller venues used for less well known acts; these typically take the title 'Academy 2'.
The group formed a partnership in 2008 with O2 to allow customers of the company to receive priority access to tickets at the venues. The deal saw eleven UK venues renamed O2 Academies from 1 January 2009, with O2 customers able to buy tickets to gigs up to two days before others. The deal also involved music promoter Live Nation who own 51% of the venues. In July 2017, O2, Live Nation and Academy Music Group renewed the agreement for a further ten years.