It was announced Thursday that legendary rockers Kiss have sold their catalog, brand name and IP to Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment Group in a deal estimated to be worth more than $300 million.
This isn’t the first time the band has partnered with the pop house co-founded by ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus.
When the band’s current lineup, founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, took to the stage; Final night of farewell tour They ended December at New York City’s famous Madison Square Garden by revealing: digitized avatar own.
This cutting-edge technology was developed by George Lucas’ special effects company, Industrial Light & Magic, in partnership with Pop House.The two companies recently partnered “ABBA Voyage” show In London, fans were able to attend a full concert by the Swedish band in its heyday, performed by their own digital avatars.
There’s no word yet on how Kiss’s avatar will be used, but Pop House CEO Par Sundin said fans can expect biopics, documentaries, and Kiss experiences in the near future. He states that he is deaf.
The Avatar show is scheduled to launch in late 2027, but don’t expect it to be anything like “ABBA Voyage,” Sundin told The Associated Press. And fans can expect a kickoff in North America.
Sundin says the objectives of the acquisition are: Exposing Kiss to a new generation — which he believes is what sets Pop House apart from other music catalog acquisitions.
“The record companies, the big three that are left, are doing a great job, but they have so much catalog that they can’t concentrate on everything,” he says. “Even though we own the artist rights, we work with Universal (Music Group) and Kiss, and we work with Kiss. But yes, we own all the rights. I bought it, and it’s nothing I’ve ever seen so clearly.”
“I don’t like the word acquisition,” Gene Simmons told The Associated Press over Zoom, vowing that the band would never sell its catalog to a company it didn’t value.
“Collaboration is just that. It would be a dereliction of our presumed fiduciary duty — see what I did there? — to what we created to abandon it. ” he continued. “People might misunderstand and think, ‘Okay, pop house is doing that now and we’re just twiddling our thumbs in Beverly Hills.'” No, that’s not the case. We are in the trenches with them. we talk all the time. we share ideas. It’s a collaboration. Paul (Stanley) and I are going to give this our all, especially with the band. It’s our baby. ”
Among them, there are no more live tours, really. “I’m not going to tour with Kiss anymore,” he says. “We’re not going to go out wearing makeup.”
Kiss is the pop house’s second investment outside Sweden. In February, Cyndi Lauper entered into a partnership with the company, which included the sale of Kiss. Most share of her music And her new immersive performance project, which she calls “Immersive Theater Pieces,” transports audiences to New York, where she grew up.
The aim is to develop new ways to bring Lauper’s music to fans and young audiences through new performances and live experiences.
“Most suits, when you tell them an idea, their eyes light up and they just want the greatest hits,” Roper told The Associated Press at Pop House headquarters in Stockholm in February. “But they’re a multimedia company. They’re not just trying to buy my catalog; they want to create something new.”
