ACADEMY Music Group Ltd have confirmed their expansion in Scotland with the acquisition of the 3,000 capacity Edinburgh Corn Exchange. It will now be known as the O2 Academy Edinburgh.

Built in 1909, the Corn Exchange is a category B building with a unique history. Over the last two decades, it has become one of the capital’s largest standing, multi-purpose, award-winning venues.

Its connection with live music began back in 1999 with a sold-out Blur show. Other headline acts to grace the venue include Foo Fighters, Biffy Clyro, Oasis, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Paolo Nutini, Radiohead, Calvin Harris and more.

Graham Walters, chief operating officer at Academy Music Group, said: “We’ve been keen to expand our O2 Academy brand in Scotland for some time and we’re delighted to now be in Edinburgh, it’s an inspiring city with a thriving appetite for music and culture.

“We see huge potential with this venue, it fits with our ethos of investing in heritage buildings, with the right capacity of 3,000 to bring world-class entertainment to the city. It also has a number of diverse secondary spaces, flexible formats and configurations that we’ll be looking at over the coming months to complement programming and events in the main auditorium.”

Gareth Griffiths, head of O2 Sponsorship, added: “The new O2 Academy Edinburgh is a brilliant addition to our O2 Academy estate. It’s a beautiful venue and as entertainment begins to return this further demonstrates O2 and Academy Music Group’s commitment to enhancing the live industry in Scotland, one of the best places to watch music in the UK.”

Paul DeMarco, managing director of Marco’s, said: “When Marco’s Leisure bought the Corn Exchange in Chesser 22 years ago, we started with a plan to be Edinburgh’s go-to concert venue and ran over 300 live shows, as well as welcoming 3 million visitors to gigs, conferences, banquets, weddings, exhibitions and parties, creating one of the busiest and most successful venues in Scotland.

We are happy to pass on the baton to the top professionals in the live music industry who will ensure it continues to play a major role in Scotland’s events industry for many more years to come. Marco’s will continue to operate and expand its leisure business.”

Academy Music Group has already invested in brand new, in-house sound and lighting production facilities at O2 Academy Edinburgh ahead of its forthcoming shows.

Upcoming events include: Declan McKenna (Fri 03 Sep), Tom Grennan (Thu 09 Sep), CHIC feat. Nile Rogers (Tue 21 Sep), Yungblud (Mon 11 Oct), DMA’S (Mon 18 and Tue 19 Oct), Rag’n’Bone Man (Tue 26 Oct), The Snuts (Thu 28 Oct), Bullet For My Valentine (Mon 01 Nov), Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes (Tue 23 Nov), Bicep (Tue 07 Dec), The Charlatans (Tue 21 Dec), CHVRCHES (Mon 13 Mar), Jake Bugg (Mon 21 Mar), The War On Drugs (Mon 18 Apr), Gary Numan (Mon 09 May), Marina (Tue 17 May), Beck (Tue 14 Jun).