It’s by no means actually the top of the street for Kiss. The exhausting rock quartet have bought their catalog, model identify and IP to Swedish firm Pophouse Entertainment Group in a deal estimated to be over $300 million, it was introduced Thursday.

This is not the primary time Kiss has partnered with Pophouse, which was co-founded by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus. When the band’s present lineup — founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons in addition to guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer — took the stage at the final night of their farewell tour in December at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden, they ended by revealing digitized avatars of themselves.

The cutting-edge know-how was created by George Lucas’ special-effects firm, Industrial Light & Magic, in partnership with Pophouse. The two firms just lately teamed up for the “ABBA Voyage” show in London, wherein followers might attend a full live performance by the Swedish band of their heyday, as carried out by their very own digital avatars.

The methods wherein Kiss’ avatars will likely be utilized has but to be introduced, however Pophouse CEO Per Sundin says followers can anticipate a biopic, a documentary and a Kiss expertise on the horizon.

An avatar present is scheduled to launch within the second half of 2027 — however do not anticipate it to look something like “ABBA Voyage,” Sundin informed the AP. And followers can anticipate it to kick off in North America.

Sundin says the aim of the acquisition is to expose Kiss to new generations — which he believes units Pophouse aside from other acquisitions of music catalogs.

“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,” he says. “We work along with Universal (Music Group) and Kiss, regardless that we’ll personal the artists’ rights, and we’re doing it together with Kiss. But sure, we purchased all rights, and that is not one thing I’ve seen that clear earlier than.”

“I don’t like the word acquisition,” Gene Simmons tells the AP over Zoom, assuring the band would by no means promote their catalog to an organization they did not respect.

Rock legend Gene Simmons is promoting his California home, it options 7 bedrooms, 9 loos, formal and casual eating rooms, an ideal room, workplace, bonus room and bar. Listed by Douglas Elliman’s Altman Brothers for $21,995,000. ‘Luxe Life with Derek Z’ provides us a tour.

“Collaboration is strictly what it’s about. It could be remiss in our inferred fiduciary obligation — see what I simply did there? — to the factor that we created to desert it,” he continued. “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.”

And inside that: no extra reside touring, for actual. “We’re not going to tour again as Kiss, period,” he says. “We’re not going to go put the makeup on and go out there.”

Kiss are Pophouse’s second funding exterior of Sweden: In February, Cyndi Lauper entered a partnership with the corporate which included the sale of the majority share of her music and a brand new immersive efficiency challenge she’s calling an “immersive theater piece” that transports audiences to the New York she grew up in.

The goal is to develop new methods to convey Lauper’s music to followers and youthful audiences by new performances and reside experiences.

“Most suits, when you tell them an idea, their eyes glaze over, they just want your greatest hits,” Lauper informed the AP on the Pophouse headquarters in Stockholm in February. “But these guys are a multimedia company, they’re not looking to just buy my catalog, they want to make something new.”