SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA HAS A NEW DON

Per Sundin, left, and Johan Lagerlöf are expanding the portfolio of Pophouse, the company founded by ABBA member Björn Ulvaeus, with a deal with Swedish House Mafia. Former Capitol chief Steve Barnett is helping with U.S. and U.K. deals.

Stockholm's Pophouse Entertainment has acquired the recordings and publishing of Swedish House Mafia’s catalog and will form a joint venture with its members to develop and amplify the Swedish House Mafia brand worldwide.

The agreement also includes Pophouse’s acquisition of the recordings and publishing of Axwell & Ingrosso, the DJ duo featuring two Swedish House Mafia members.

“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,” Pophouse CEO Per Sundin said.

Helping to facilitate that expansion is former Capitol Music Group head Steve Barnett, who is leading the company’s targeted outreach with U.S.- and U.K.-based rightsholders as a member of the company’s Investment Advisory Committee. Barnett worked on the relaunch of ABBA’s catalog in America with ABBA member and Pophouse founder Björn Ulvaeus.

Formed in 2014, Pophouse created the ABBA Museum and has expanded into other ventures in Stockholm: a massive gaming center, the Pippi at the Circus musical and Perfect Day Media, the leading podcast house in the Nordics. The concert experience ABBA Voyage will open in London in May.

Pophouse Head of Investments Johan Lagerlöf, the former global head of catalog strategy at Spotify, said, ”For Pophouse, an acquisition is just a starting point in the relationship. We are here to invest further in brand-building activities that amplify artist legacies to new audiences and develop new revenue streams, as we’ve done so successfully in our other endeavors. Pophouse is not replacing any existing stakeholder but is joining forces with artists’ existing teams and partners to grow the business for all.”