It鈥檚 never really the end of the road for . The hard rock quartet have sold their catalog, brand name and IP to Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment Group in a deal estimated to be over $300 million, it was announced Thursday.
This isn鈥檛 the first time Kiss has partnered with Pophouse, which was co-founded by ABBA鈥檚 Bj枚rn Ulvaeus. When the band鈥檚 current lineup 鈥� founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons as well as guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer 鈥� took the stage at the in December at New York City鈥檚 famed Madison Square Garden, they ended by revealing of themselves.
The cutting-edge technology was created by George Lucas鈥� special-effects company, Industrial Light & Magic, in partnership with Pophouse. The two companies recently teamed up for in London, in which fans could attend a full concert by the Swedish band in their heyday, as performed by their own digital avatars.
The ways in which Kiss鈥� avatars will be utilized has yet to be announced, but Pophouse CEO Per Sundin says fans can expect a biopic, a documentary and a Kiss experience on the horizon.
An avatar show is scheduled to launch in the second half of 2027 鈥� but don鈥檛 expect it to look anything like 鈥淎BBA Voyage,鈥� Sundin told the AP. And fans can expect it to kick off in North America.
Sundin says the goal of the purchase is to 鈥� which he believes sets Pophouse apart from .
鈥淭he record companies, the three big ones that are left, they鈥檙e doing a fantastic job, but they have so many catalogs and they can鈥檛 focus on everything,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e work together with Universal (Music Group) and Kiss, even though we will own the artists rights, and we鈥檙e doing it in conjunction with Kiss. But yes, we bought all rights, and that鈥檚 not something I鈥檝e seen that clear before.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 like the word acquisition,鈥� tells the AP over Zoom, assuring the band would never sell their catalog to a company they didn鈥檛 appreciate.
鈥淐ollaboration is exactly what it鈥檚 about. It would be remiss in our inferred fiduciary duty 鈥� see what I just did there? 鈥� to the thing that we created to abandon it,鈥� he continued. 鈥淧eople might misunderstand and think, 鈥極K, now Pophouse is doing that stuff and we鈥檙e just in Beverly Hills twiddling our thumbs.鈥� No, that鈥檚 not true. We鈥檙e in the trenches with them. We talk all the time. We share ideas. It鈥檚 a collaboration. Paul (Stanley) and I especially, with the band, we鈥檒l stay committed to this. It鈥檚 our baby.鈥�
And within that: no more live touring, for real. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to tour again as Kiss, period,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to go put the makeup on and go out there.鈥�
Kiss are Pophouse鈥檚 second investment outside of Sweden: In February, Cyndi Lauper entered a partnership with the company which including the sale of the and a new immersive performance project she鈥檚 calling an 鈥渋mmersive theater piece鈥� that transports audiences to the New York she grew up in.
The aim is to develop new ways to bring Lauper鈥檚 music to fans and younger audiences through new performances and live experiences.
鈥淢ost suits, when you tell them an idea, their eyes glaze over, they just want your greatest hits,鈥� Lauper told the AP at the Pophouse headquarters in Stockholm in February. 鈥淏ut these guys are a multimedia company, they鈥檙e not looking to just buy my catalog, they want to make something new.鈥�
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