Kiss are the latest artists to sell off their music catalog — and, in this case, their well-known onstage personas and makeup — for big money.
The band — which closed out its (alleged) farewell tour in December 2023 — announced they have sold the rights to their music and imagery to Pophouse, the Swedish company that created the ABBA Voyage hologram show and is working on a similar project involving Kiss.
While the price wasn’t revealed in a joint press release, Fortune reports that Kiss raked in upwards of $300 million in the sale. A rep for the band did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.
The deal involves all of Kiss’ master recordings and publishing rights, and in a unique addition to other catalog acquisitions, also includes the band’s characters — Gene Simmons’ God of Thunder, Paul Stanley’s Star Child — and their distinct makeup.
Simmons told People Thursday that the sale felt like a “natural thing” though the band wasn’t “looking for it” at first. However, “If you take a look at Mother Nature, you either evolve or you become extinct,” he said.
“Life happens while you’re busy making important plans,” he added. “We were planning our respectful, proud walking off into the sunset, because we’ve been touring, we had been touring for half a century.”
During the band’s final End of the Road Tour show at Madison Square Garden, Kiss revealed that the band would live on as digital avatars in the Pophouse-produced hologram shows beginning in 2027; Pophouse’s ABBA Voyage show, currently presented in London, makes $1 million a week, Fortune reported.
“As part of the partnership, Pophouse will create digital versions of KISS that will allow the band and their unique personas to live forever,” Pophouse and Kiss said in their press release. “Through a magical combination of cutting-edge technology and unrivaled creativity, Pophouse will bring the full, authentic KISS experience to both existing and new fans for years to come. The avatar show is planned to launch in 2027.”
“We have always been breaking new ground in popular culture, and this partnership will ensure that we continue to do so for years to come,” Simmons said of the catalog dead in a statement. “Because what Pophouse is doing, is breaking rules. We already have several plans in development, where the avatar show is one, a biopic another and a KISS themed experience a third. The future could not be more exciting!”
Stanley added, “Our journey with Pophouse is fueled by the desire to eternally resonate across diverse facets of global culture. 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. This partnership is not just a chapter; it’s an eternal symphony of rock ‘n’ roll immortality.”
Pophouse CEO Per Sundin said in December that the company is still in the process of figuring out how best to use the Industrial Light and Magic-created avatars, which are enormous, fire-breathing versions of the Kiss members in full regalia. “Is it a Kiss concert in the future? Is it a rock opera? Is it a musical? A story, an adventure? These four individuals already have superpowers. We want to be as open as possible.”
Outside of Kiss and ABBA, Pophouse also acquired the rights to Cyndi Lauper’s music catalog.
“We’ve all seen boxers and artists who will stay in the ring too long and get knocked out by some amateur,” Simmons said. “You don’t want to do that, you want to go out on top. And we did it the right way, out of respect and love for the fans.”
This story was updated at 8:35 p.m. ET to include comment from Gene Simmons to People.
