Swedish House Mafia‘s catalog of music has been purchased by Pophouse Entertainment, an entertainment investment company founded by ABBA member Björn Ulvaeus and EQT Founder Conni Jonsson in 2014.
The acquisition includes the master recordings and publishing, as well as the writer’s share, of the legendary dance music trio’s catalog. It also includes the masters and publishing rights of Axwell Λ Ingrosso, the collaborative nom de plume of Swedish House Mafia members Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso, who recorded music together following the band’s 2012 disbandment.
Pophouse Entertainment will leverage their resources and amplify the Swedish House Mafia brand to become even more global, and expose their music to ancillary markets within the industry. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“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,” Pophouse Entertainment’s CEO Per Sundin said in a press release shared with EDM.com. “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.”
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Pophouse Entertainment has enlisted Capitol Music Group and Columbia Records head Steve Barnett to lead the company’s Investment Advisory Committee. Barnett is also tasked with targeted outreach for U.S.- and U.K.-based rights-holders to invest in their catalog.
“I’ve known Per and Johan for many years, and have worked closely with them on so many endeavors on behalf of artists,” Barnett added. “I also had the pleasure of helping to relaunch the illustrious ABBA catalog in America at Capitol, and [ABBA member and Pophouse founder] 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.”
Swedish House Mafia have expressed excitement about the acquisition as well, citing the expansion into new markets and the prospects of leveraging Pophouse’s expertise.
“It feels great for us to partner up with a company like Pophouse that will do much more than simply acquire our creative work,” the trio said in a joint statement. “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.”