By Leah Montebello
The majority of the Avicii’s top hits have been sold off to Stockholm-based entertainment firm Pophouse, adding to the tide artists who have had rights to their music sold off in recent years.
In an announcement this afternoon, Pophouse, best known for developing the ABBA Voyage show in London, said it had acquired a 75 per cent ownership in the DJ’s master recordings and publishing. Avicii’s family and estate will maintain ownership of the remaining 25 per cent.
It said a joint venture had also been created between the estate of Avicii and Pophouse to safeguard the artist’s legacy.
Avicii first rose to prominence in 2011 with his Grammy-nominated single “Levels”. In 2012, he was ranked as the #1 DJ in the world by DJ Magazine. His 2013 debut studio album, True, hit the top 10 in more than 15 countries, propelled by its lead single, “Wake Me Up.”
The artist released his second chart-topping album, Stories, in 2015, a fourth EP, Avīci, in 2017. Avicii was also nominated for a Grammy Award for his work on “Sunshine” with David Guetta in 2012. Avicii took his own life in 2018 after battling years of poor mental health.
Avicii still garners more than 30 million listeners a month on Spotify, which ranks him ahead of such global iconic music artists as The Beatles and Elvis Presley. His top ten tracks on that service have been streamed nearly 8 billion times combined.
Pophouse Head of Investments, Johan Lagerlöf, said, “We are investing to build a roster of the artists that shaped the sound of modern pop music. Artists that have songs and recordings that might be classics today and iconic tomorrow. Trailblazers of their times on a global scale. Such legacies should not just be remembered, they should be fully experienced in new and exciting ways.”
The agreement comes only months after Pophouse bought the master recordings and publishing assets of the back catalogue of Swedish House Mafia, and formed a joint venture with the trio’s members to develop and amplify their brand worldwide.
A number of late musicians have seen their music snapped up in recent years, including Hipgnosis’ swoop for the tunes of music icon Leonard Cohen.
The post Hey Brother: Avicii estate sells rights to DJ’s top hits appeared first on CityAM.
