Pophouse Entertainment

Pophouse Entertainment
Company typePrivate
Industry
Founded2014; 11 years ago (2014)
FoundersConni Jonsson, Björn Ulvaeus
Headquarters
Stockholm
,
Sweden
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Per Sundin (CEO)
Steve Barnett (Investment Advisory Committee )
Catherine Powell (Board of Directors)
Johan Lagerlöf (Investments division)
ServicesMusic publishing, brands development, hospitality, investments
Websitepophouse.se

Pophouse Entertainment is a private entertainment company based in Stockholm, Sweden.[1][2] The company creates, acquires, and develops brands in various related fields, such as music, podcasting, stage performance, and gaming. Pophouse invests in music rights, as well as other types of intellectual property in the entertainment industry. Founded in 2014 by Conni Jonsson and Björn Ulvaeus, it has since been affiliated with many of Sweden's most notable entertainment brands including ABBA,[3] Swedish House Mafia[4] and Avicii, among others.[5][6] Per Sundin currently serves as the group's CEO.

History

Pophouse Entertainment (also known as Pophouse) was established in 2014 in Stockholm, Sweden by Björn Ulvaeus, a founding member of the musical group ABBA, and Conni Jonsson, founder of EQT AB.[1] Since 2019, the CEO of Pophouse is Per Sundin, who was previously CEO of Universal Music in the Nordics[7] and was instrumental in the emergence of Spotify,[8] as the first music label executive to partner with the streaming platform.[9][10]

On 25 February 2022, the company opened the Avicii Experience, an interactive museum in Stockholm, and a tribute to Tim Bergling's music and life.[11][12] The opening ceremony was inaugurated by the Swedish royal family.[13]

In March 2022, Pophouse Entertainment acquired the master recordings of the band Swedish House Mafia.[2][14]

In April 2022, Pophouse recruited James Mcknight, previously creative director of the Harry Potter franchise, as head of entertainment research and development, and also opened their first office in London.[15]

In February 2024, Pophouse acquired the majority of Cyndi Lauper's music catalogue for new projects to promote her legacy.[16]

Funding and acquisitions

In September 2021, the company bought Perfect Day Media AB, a media house founded in 2011, that develops and produces podcasts for various media platforms.[17][18]

In 2022, Pophouse announced they would move into music catalogue investments.[1] According to Bloomberg, "Pophouse is raising a music fund with a target size of up to $1 billion USD, similar to that of Hipgnosis and Round Hill Music Royalty Fund. However, Pophouse has not yet confirmed that claim."[1]

Pophouse was among the major developers of ABBA Voyage, a concert residency by the Swedish pop group ABBA. The concerts feature ABBA as virtual avatars (dubbed 'ABBAtars'), depicting the group as they appeared in 1979. The concerts are held in a purpose-built venue at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, officially called ABBA Arena.[3][19]

In April 2024, it was reported that Pophouse has bought the hard rock band Kiss for $300 million, including all of their songs along with their brand and intellectual property.[20][21][22]

Notable projects and collaborations

Key people

References

  1. ^ a b c d Daly, Charles (29 March 2022). "ABBA Star's Entertainment Firm Buys Swedish House Mafia Catalog". Bloomberg.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Aswad, Jem (29 March 2022). "Swedish House Mafia Sells Masters, Publishing to Pophouse Entertainment". Variety Magazine.
  3. ^ a b Moore, Sam (30 March 2022). "Swedish House Mafia sell their masters and publishing rights to Pophouse Entertainment". NME.
  4. ^ a b "ABBA-backed firm buys rights to Swedish House Mafia songs". Reuters. 29 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Needham, Jack (17 February 2022). "Sweden's Pophouse is Investing in Music Rights, as it Adds Airbnb and EQT Execs to its Board". Music Business Worldwide.
  6. ^ a b Newlands, Emma (12 April 2022). "Take a chance on me: Scot opening London office for Swedish entertainment company co-founded by ABBA's Björn". The Scotsman.
  7. ^ Milne, Richard (24 October 2014). "The Spotify effect". Financial Times.
  8. ^ Greeley, Brendan (14 July 2011). "Spotify's Ek Wins Over Music Pirates With Labels' Approval". Bloomberg.
  9. ^ The Spotify Play: How CEO and Founder Daniel Ek Beat Apple, Google, and Amazon in the Race for Audio Dominance. Diversion Books. 26 January 2021. ISBN 9781635767452.
  10. ^ Digital Revolution Tamed: The Case of the Recording Industry (p.269). Springer International Publishing. 3 August 2018. ISBN 9783319930220.
  11. ^ a b Hardiman, Jess (16 May 2022). "Avicii Experience Allows You To Explore The Iconic DJ's Life". UNILAD.
  12. ^ Bain, Katie (25 February 2022). "Take a Tour of Stockholm's Newly Opened Avicii Experience Tribute Museum". Billboard.
  13. ^ Jabaut, Stephen (24 February 2022). "Avicii Museum Inaugurated by Swedish Royal Family". EDM Tunes.
  14. ^ Korrs, Ivan (29 March 2022). "Swedish House Mafia Sold Masters To Pop House Ahead Debut Album Release". Music Times.
  15. ^ Curry, Rhiannon (12 April 2022). "ABBA-backed company hires Harry Potter exec to start London office". Evening Standard.
  16. ^ https://newsroom.notified.com/news/281609/pophouse-and-cyndi-lauper-enter-partnership-t
  17. ^ Tiefenthaler, Federica (8 September 2021). "Pophouse Entertainment Group's Acquisition of Perfect Day Media". Global Legal Chronicle.
  18. ^ "Efter uppköpet - Perfect Day Media rekryterar flera chefer inför internationell lansering". Resume. 20 March 2022.
  19. ^ Trendell, Andrew (2 September 2021). "ABBA Voyage: Pop icons return for new album and "revolutionary" shows". NME.
  20. ^ a b "Pophouse Acquires Rock Band Kiss Songs and Brand For $300m". The Republic Reporter. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  21. ^ a b Ray, Siladitya (4 April 2024). "KISS Sells Music Catalog To Firm Co-Founded By Swedish Billionaire And ABBA's Bjorn". Forbes. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  22. ^ Waddell, David (4 April 2024). "Hard rock band Kiss sells brand and songs for $300m". BBC. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  23. ^ Winell, Tea (3 December 2023). "KISS To Become First U.S. Band To Go Fully Virtual - And Stage Avatar Show". Pophouse. Retrieved 4 December 2023.