On Thursday, it was announced that American rock band Kiss had sold their catalog, brand name and IP to Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment Group in a deal estimated to be over $300 million. They’re the latest to participate in an ongoing trend of blockbuster acts and their rights holders inking deals to sell their back-catalogs, often for impressive sums.
It’s big business — especially considering that two-thirds of all music streamed is made up of catalog music, and streaming accounts for 84% of all music industry revenue. Not every artist disclosed the amounts involved but some deals have been estimated at as much as half a billion dollars. (A figure that could be eclipsed when the Michael Jackson estate sells the singer’s catalog.)
