It’s never really the end of the road kiss. The hard rock quartet has sold its catalog, brand name and intellectual property to Sweden’s Pophouse Entertainment Group in a deal estimated to be worth more than $300 million, it was announced Thursday.
This isn’t the first time Kiss has teamed up with the pop house co-founded by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus. The band’s current lineup (founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer) performed at New York City’s famous Madison Square Garden farewell in December. When they took the stage on the final night of the tour, they ended with a digital release. their own avatars.
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 on the “ABBA Voyage” show in London, where fans were able to attend a full concert of the Swedish band in its prime via their 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 it to start in North America.
Sundin said the purpose of the acquisition was to introduce Kiss to a new generation, which he believes 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. “We own the rights to the artists, but we are working with Universal[Music Group]and Kiss, and we are working with Kiss. But yes, we own all the rights. I bought it, and I’ve never seen it so clearly before.”
“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.
Rock legend Gene Simmons is selling his California home. This home features 7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, formal and casual dining rooms, great room, office, bonus his room, and bar. Douglas Elliman’s Altman Brothers listed it for $21,995,000. “Luxe Life with Derek Z” offers tours.
“Collaboration is just that. It would be a dereliction of our presumed fiduciary duty — see what I did there? ” 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’re doing that with them. It’s a friendly competition. We’re always talking. We’re sharing ideas. It’s a collaboration. Paul[Stanley]and I in particular, along with the band, will continue to work hard on this. 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 that included selling a majority stake in her songs and creating new productions she called “immersive theater pieces” that would transport audiences around the world. Includes immersive performance projects. 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.”
