If there’s one thingGene Simmonsisn’t afraid of, it’s making bold business moves.
When thenews was announcedon Thursday, April 4 that Pophouse, a Swedish entertainment group, has purchased the entireKISSmusic catalog, likeness and brand name, Simmons tells PEOPLE it felt like the “natural thing” to do, even though he maintains that the band “weren’t looking for it” initially.
“Life happens while you’re busy making important plans,” the legendary rocker says. “We were planning our respectful, proud walking off into the sunset, because we’ve been touring, we had been touring for half a century.” But Simmons “didn’t want to” go the route of continually touring until they physically couldn’t anymore.
“I don’t want to go out there with my walker,” he jokingly adds.
Gene Simmons in New York City in September 2017.Mark Weiss/Getty
Mark Weiss/Getty
Upon meeting the team at Pophouse, the band and them “broke bread, talked about our families and we got to be friends.” As a result, Pophouse acquired the entirety of the KISS brand for an undisclosed sum, per the company’s press release.
Pophouse Entertainment Group is the brainchild of Swedish billionaire Conni Jonsson andABBAmember Björn Ulvaeus, who began the company together in 2014 and have acquired the catalogs ofCyndi Lauper,Aviciiand Swedish House Mafia, among other stars, in the time since. The company is also responsible for the ABBA Voyage digital concert currently running in London, of which Simmons notes, “If you haven’t seen it, you’ll be amazed.”
Gene Simmons performs in June 2019 in Oslo, Norway.Per Ole Hagen/Redferns
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Simmons reflects on “the end of KISS,” calling it “a proud moment,” while maintaining that under new direction from Pophouse, “the beginning of KISS is going to be something that will blow your socks off, like nothing you’ve ever not seen.”
“If you take a look at Mother Nature, you either evolve or you become extinct,” he reflects on the change in ownership after decades at the helm of KISS.
All-in-all, Simmons maintains that financial gain is “not what [the sale is] about. It’s about enjoying life,” while adding, “I’m certainly blessed.”
Gene Simmons (left) and Paul Stanley perform in Mexico City in May 2019.Adrián Monroy/Medios y Media/Getty
With the deal for KISS’s catalog finalized, Simmons is focusing on his upcoming tour with the Gene Simmons Band, his combination restaurant-bar-concert venue Rock & Brews and his partnership with ilani Casino, which he calls “terrific, amazing people” to work with.
“Rock & Brews is a proud achievement,” he says, “It’s an experience from the time you walk in.”
The new Rock & Brews Restaurant & Concert Bar, located within the ilani Casino Resort in Ridgefield, Wash., boasts a 10,000+ square foot space with a 1,000-seat event space. “The highest form of praise is if you like something you tell your best friend ‘You got to check this out,' " Simmons explains of the feeling he wants fans to have upon visiting the new venue, “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.”
source: people.com
