According to a published report from Billboard.com, KISS has sold its catalog of music, along with its brand name and their IP to a Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment Group in an estimated deal of over $300m. Pophouse owns similar rights to Cyndi Lauper’s catalog and brand IP. The band shared an announcement video explaining the deal, which you can watch now! KISS played the final show of their career as a touring band in December 2023 at their hometown venue, Madison Square Garden.
During their final show, KISS shared the first look at the KISS AVATARS, created in partnership with Industrial Light & Magic and Pophouse.
Pophouse reports that a biopic, and a new documentary, plus an as yet revealed “KISS experience” are all in the planning stages.
Pophouse have advised that the intention of the brand and catalog purchase is to expose the KISS legacy to new generations.
Pophouse CEO Per Sundin says:
“The record companies, the three big ones that are left, they’re doing a fantastic job, but they have so many catalogs and they can’t focus on everything. We work together with Universal (Music Group) and Kiss, even though we will own the artists rights, and we’re doing it in conjunction with Kiss. But yes, we bought all rights, and that’s not something I’ve seen that clear before”
Co-founder – Gene Simmons commented:
“I don’t like the word acquisition. Collaboration is exactly what it’s about. It would be remiss in our inferred fiduciary duty — see what I just did there? — to the thing that we created to abandon it. People might misunderstand and think, ‘OK, now Pophouse is doing that stuff and we’re just in Beverly Hills twiddling our thumbs.’ No, that’s not true. We’re in the trenches with them. We talk all the time. We share ideas. It’s a collaboration. Paul (Stanley) and I especially, with the band, we’ll stay committed to this. It’s our baby. No more live touring, for real. We’re not going to tour again as Kiss, period. We’re not going to go put the makeup on and go out there.”
https://www.billboard.com/business/business-news/kiss-rights-pophouse-gene-simmons-1235648622/