Pophouse Entertainment is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

entertainment company based in Stockholm, Sweden. 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 Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish musician, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA. He is also the co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duve ...

, it has since been affiliated with many of Sweden's most notable entertainment brands including

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

Swedish House Mafia Swedish House Mafia (SHM) are a Swedish house music, house Supergroup (music), supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008, were placed at number ten on the ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 D ...

and

Avicii Tim Bergling (8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii, was a Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer. At age 16, he began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first record deal. He rose ...

, among others. Per Sundin currently serves as the group's CEO.

History

Pophouse Entertainment (also known as Pophouse) was established in 2014 in Stockholm, Sweden by

, a founding member of the musical group ABBA, and Conni Jonsson, founder of

EQT AB EQT AB is a Swedish global investment organization founded in 1994. Its funds invest in private equity (EQT Private Capital Europe & North America), infrastructure (EQT Infrastructure), real estate (EQT Real Estate), growth equity, and ventur ...

. Since 2019, the CEO of Pophouse is Per Sundin, who was previously CEO of

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...

in the Nordics and was instrumental in the emergence of

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

, as the first music label executive to partner with the streaming platform. On 25 February 2022, the company opened the ''Avicii Experience'', an interactive museum in Stockholm, and a tribute to

Tim Bergling Tim Bergling (8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii, was a Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer. At age 16, he began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first record deal. He rose ...

's music and life. The opening ceremony was inaugurated by the Swedish royal family. In March 2022, Pophouse Entertainment acquired the master recordings of the band

. 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. In February 2024, Pophouse acquired the majority of

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

's music catalogue for new projects to promote her legacy.

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. In 2022, Pophouse announced they would move into music catalogue investments. 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." Pophouse was among the major developers of

ABBA Voyage ABBA Voyage is a Virtual concert, virtual concert residency by the Swedish Pop music, pop group ABBA. The concerts feature virtual Avatar (computing), avatars (dubbed "ABBAtars"), depicting the group as they appeared in 1979 and use the original ...

, 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 Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a sporting complex and public park in Stratford, Hackney Wick, Leyton and Bow, in east London. It was purpose-built for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, situated adjacent to the Stratford City devel ...

in London, officially called ABBA Arena. In April 2024, it was reported that Pophouse has bought the hard rock band

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

for $300 million, including all of their songs along with their brand and intellectual property.

Notable projects and collaborations

* Avicii Experience *Space *Perfect Day Media *Mamma Mia The Party *Pippi at the Cirkus * ABBA The Museum *Fat Cat brasserie *

Avatars, songs and brand

Key people

*Per Sundin - CEO (previously CEO of Universal Music Sweden and Nordics) *Johan Lagerlöf - Managing Partner of the Investments Division (previously, founder and CEO of

X5 Music Group X5 Music Group is a record label based in Stockholm, Sweden with a branch in Manhattan, New York. Founded in 2003, it is a digital-only label that primarily licenses pre-existing music for compilation albums. X5 originally focused on classical mu ...

) * Catherine Powell - Board of Directors (currently also serving as head of hosting at

Airbnb Airbnb, Inc. ( , an abbreviation of its original name, "Air Bed and Breakfast") is an American company operating an online marketplace for short-and-long-term homestays, experiences and services in various countries and regions. It acts as a ...

) *

Steve Barnett (music executive) Steve Barnett is the former chairman and CEO of Capitol Music Group. Early career Barnett began his music career as an agent in London in 1970, working for the Bron Agency (Gerry Bron) and dealing with bands such as Colosseum and Uriah Heep. He b ...

- Investment Advisory Committee (previously CEO and chairman of

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

and

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

)

References

{{Reflist Entertainment companies of Sweden Mass media companies of Sweden Swedish companies established in 2014 Companies based in Stockholm