Legendary rock band KISS are promoting their music catalog, plus title, picture and likeness rights — together with their face paint designs — to music funding agency Pophouse Leisure.
Pophouse confirmed the deal in an announcement obtained by MBW on Thursday (April 4) following reviews by Bloomberg and The Related Press.
Whereas the corporate didn’t disclose the dimensions of its funding in KISS, the information retailers reported it to be value greater than USD $300 million.
Along with KISS’ model title, music catalog, and mental property, the settlement additionally covers KISS’ artist share of the grasp recordings and publishing rights.
Pophouse’s imaginative and prescient extends far past merely buying a catalog of iconic songs like Rock and Roll All Nite and I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night time. The corporate additionally intends to protect KISS’ “iconic music, enigmatic personas, and expressive imagery for generations to return.”
The information arrives 4 months after KISS introduced a partnership with Sweden-headquartered Pophouse on an avatar live performance that includes digital variations of themselves. Pophouse, the creator of the ABBA Voyage digital live performance sequence, mentioned in December that it’ll “proceed to champion the KISS legacy for followers previous and new, and for all generations.”
“Our partnership will fuse the wealthy historical past and iconic standing of KISS with cutting-edge expertise, permitting followers – now and sooner or later – to expertise the band like by no means earlier than,” PerSundin, CEO of Pophouse Leisure, mentioned on the time.
“Our partnership will fuse the wealthy historical past and iconic standing of KISS with cutting-edge expertise, permitting followers – now and sooner or later – to expertise the band like by no means earlier than.”
PerSundin, Pophouse Leisure, talking about KISS partnership in December
ABBA Voyage, co-founded by Pophouse’s Bjorn Ulvaeus (a member of ABBA), has grow to be a cultural phenomenon, promoting out reveals in London and grossing over $1 million per week. Audiences flock to the custom-built enviornment to witness digital avatars of ABBA carry out their timeless hits with uncanny realism. In its first yr of operation, ABBA Voyage contributed £322.6 million (approx. $408m) in turnover to the London economic system between Could 2022 and Could 2023.
A key facet of the KISS take care of Pophouse entails creating digital avatars of the KISS band members. This method will permit KISS to proceed performing for years to return, even after the band members themselves retire from touring. This expertise was hinted at in the course of the last KISS live performance in New York when avatar variations of the band closed the present.
The primary KISS digital avatar present is scheduled to reach in 2027, based on a teaser clip posted by KISS on social media in December.
Most not too long ago, Pophouse introduced that it additionally plans to supply a biopic chronicling the band’s historical past along with the avatar present and a “KISS themed expertise.”
“We have now all the time been breaking new floor in widespread tradition, and this partnership willmake sure that we proceed to take action for years to return. As a result of what Pophouse is doing, is breaking guidelines. We have already got a number of plans in improvement,” mentioned Gene Simmons, bassist and co-founder of KISS.
“We have now all the time been breaking new floor in widespread tradition, and this partnership will make sure that we proceed to take action for years to return… We have already got a number of plans in improvement.”
Gene Simmons, KISS
Pophouse says it’ll draw upon its “world-class, in-house artistic and storytelling experience” to unlock new audiences and income streams and create new content material and experiences to counterpoint the KISS catalog for previous and new followers.
“KISS is without doubt one of the most acknowledged and iconic bands within the historical past of music. They redefined the idea of rock reveals and have all the time taken their artistry to new unchartered territories,” mentioned JohanLagerlöf, Head of Funding at Pophouse.
“The band has constantly been in a position to enchantment to new generations of followers and ourmission is to satisfy the band’s imaginative and prescient to grow to be immortal, and to let new generations uncover and be a part of the KISS journey and carry it ahead. With the assistance of the followers’ power, theband, our experience, and creativity – we’ll make that imaginative and prescient occur.”
“The band’s enigmatic personas, unparalleled band attributes, and iconic imagery have made them a cultural drive and a legendary act with multigenerational enchantment.”
PerSundin, Pophouse Leisure
Sundin added: “KISS has offered greater than 100 million information worldwide and has all through their 50-year profession continued to push the boundaries in widespread tradition. The band’s enigmatic personas, unparalleled band attributes, and iconic imagery have made them a cultural drive and a legendary act with multigenerational enchantment.”
“We’ll safeguard and enrich this legacy by way of future international endeavors, by respiration new life into their characters and personas whereas additionally leveraging and elevating the visible world of KISS.”
This deal marks Pophouse’s second main acquisition exterior of Sweden in 2024, following the acquisition of Cyndi Lauper‘s music catalog in February.
In September 2022, Pophouse acquired a 75% curiosity within the masters and publishing catalog of Avicii, six months after it purchased the grasp recordings and publishing catalogs of digital music stars Swedish Home Mafia (together with their author’s shares).
