KISS KASHES IN WITH $300M POPHOUSE DEAL
Rocking all night and partying every day just became a whole lot easier for the members of KISS, who have sold their music catalog, name, image and likeness to Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment for a reported $300m.
The deal extends a previously announced venture to create a KISS show with digital avatars along the lines of Pophouse's hugely successful, London-based ABBA hologram show, Voyage. Previewed at what was claimed to be KISS' final flesh-and-bones show last December at New York's Madison Square Garden, the as-yet-untitled production is scheduled to launch in 2027 at an unknown venue.
"This groundbreaking partnership will enable Pophouse to further develop and amplify the unique KISS legacy worldwide: preserving their iconic music, enigmatic personas and expressive imagery for generations to come," enthused Pophouse, which likely got quite a deal on all this IP considering the band's name, image and likeness are worth a fortune on their own.
Beyond the avatar show, plans are in the works for a biopic and an unspecified "KISS-themed experience." Group members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley "will remain active and play key roles in the development of the projects, working closely together with Pophouse."
"We will safeguard and enrich this legacy through future global endeavors, by breathing new life into their characters and personas while also leveraging and elevating the visual world of KISS," said Pophouse CEO Per Sundin.
"As we embark on this venture, we aim to weave our legacy into the tapestry of different worlds, ensuring that the KISS experience continues to captivate both our devoted fans and those yet to discover the thrill," added Stanley, who formed KISS with Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in the bowels of Queens way back in 1973. "This partnership is not just a chapter—it’s an eternal symphony of rock‘n’roll immortality."
Pophouse was co-founded by ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus. The company also owns the catalogs of the late Avicii, Swedish House Mafia and Cyndi Lauper.
