Pophouse Entertainment has acquired the master recordings and publishing of electronic music titans Swedish House Mafia, the company has announced. The Stockholm-based entertainment company, which was cofounded by ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus and is best known for endeavors such as the forthcoming “ABBA Voyage” show, virtual experiences and gaming, has acquired the masters and publishing (including their writer’s shares) of the trio’s back catalog, and will form a joint venture with its members to develop and amplify the Swedish House Mafia brand worldwide, according to the announcement. The agreement also includes Pophouse’s full acquisition of the masters and publishing of Axwell^Ingrosso, the act comprising two-thirds of Swedish House Mafia, as well.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Swedish House Mafia will release its debut studio album, “Paradise Again,” on April 15 through Republic Records, and are scheduled to perform at the Coachella festival that weekend, although the new album is not part of the Pophouse deal.
The company has also appointed former Capitol Music Group and Columbia Records head Steve Barnett to its company’s investment advisory committee and charged him with leading the company’s targeted outreach with U.S.- and U.K.-based rights-holders to invest in and jointly build upon the legacies of iconic entertainment brands.
Pophouse CEO Per Sundin says, ”Swedish House Mafia is a groundbreaking trio that brought club music to stadiums around the world, and they continue to pave the way in contemporary electronic and dance music. We are so excited to be partnering with them to tell that story for generations to come. While our landmark agreement with them involves the acquisition of the recordings and publishing of their back catalog, it is our first-of-its-kind joint venture with the band’s members that exemplifies the types of partnerships we are pursuing in our targeted expansion.”
The members of Swedish House Mafia said, “It feels great for us to partner up with a company like Pophouse that will do much more than simply acquire our creative work. Pophouse will invest funds, know-how and resources to bring our music into areas of entertainment where it hasn’t been before and for new audiences to discover our legacy.”
Barnett said, ”I’ve known Per and Johan for many years, and have worked closely with them on so many endeavors on behalf of artists. I also had the pleasure of helping to relaunch the illustrious ABBA catalog in America at Capitol, and Björn Ulvaeus is simply one of the most creative and forward-thinking artists and executives in the history of our business. I’m thrilled to be joining them and the entire Pophouse team as we forge new partnerships on behalf of artists in the U.S., U.K. and beyond.”
Pophouse was formed in 2014 by Ulvaeus and EQT founder Conni Jonsson as a venture when the company created the ABBA Museum in Stockholm. The company has expanded into numerous other endeavors in Sweden’s capital city, including the gaming center Space,; Pippi at the Circus, a musical based on the legendary Astrid Lindgren character Pippi Longstocking; and Perfect Day Media, the leading podcast house in the Nordics. In May, “ABBA Voyage” in London, where Pophouse is the lead-investor, will feature the legendary music group’s avatars accompanied by a 10-piece live band in a one-of-a-kind concert experience.