Sia has sold half of her recorded history to a Swedish investment firm for $180 million, and she is using the cash to build a digital avatar show that puts her songs inside a live performance. The singer-songwriter closed the deal with Pophouse, the catalog firm co-founded by Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus, and the sale hands the company a 50 percent stake in her catalog.
An official announcement is expected soon. For now, the deal stands as a major catalog transaction, and it signals a clear pivot for Sia toward the digital realm.
The Sale at a Glance
The deal hands Pophouse a 50 percent stake in Sia’s catalog. The sale price of $180 million is a massive number for a single artist, and it reflects the sheer scale of Sia’s streaming numbers.
According to insiders, Sia’s songs currently bring in about $18 million annually in writing and performance royalties. That figure alone makes the deal look smart on paper, but the real bet is on what comes next.
The deal covers publishing and master recording rights, though name and likeness rights are excluded from the transaction. Sia retains full control over her identity and image, while Pophouse gains ownership of the underlying musical assets.
What the Avatar Show Will Look Like
The show, which is still in very early planning stages, will incorporate Sia’s songs as an artist and as a songwriter. It will also use her vocals on global hits like Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” which has reached more than 2 billion Spotify streams. The debut is at least a couple of years out, and it may tour to select cities.
The source familiar with the deal describes it as an immersive digital avatar production built around Sia’s music. Pophouse will be collaborating with the firm to launch the show.
Why Pophouse Is the Right Partner
Pophouse is the founding investor behind Abba Voyage, the virtual residency that uses “ABBAtars” of the Swedish hitmakers as they appeared in 1979. The show performs in a custom-built arena at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, and it has become one of the most popular virtual residencies in music.
The firm also acquired the music catalog, brand name, likeness, and trademarks of Kiss in 2024. It plans to kick off the Kiss Forever immersive avatar show in Las Vegas in 2028.
More recently, Pophouse became a majority owner, alongside BMG, in the “music interests” of Tina Turner’s catalog — as well as the rights of Turner’s name, image, and likeness. In a press release, Pophouse CEO Jessica Koravos hinted at future projects involving the twice-inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.
“We will now set in motion a series of creative projects to celebrate Tina Turner’s remarkable music and persona and secure her legacy as the Queen of Rock n’ Roll,” said Koravos.
Pophouse has also acquired a stake in Iron Maiden’s publishing and master music rights, along with the name, image, and likeness rights. The company has plans to create a digital universe centered around the band’s mascot Eddie.
Each of these projects follows a similar template: Pophouse takes an established artist’s catalog, builds a digital avatar show around it, and presents it to audiences as a live experience. The Sia deal fits squarely within that pattern.
Sia’s Streaming Numbers Back Up the Deal
Sia’s songs have hit more than a billion streams on Spotify across her career. Her collaboration “Titanium” with DJ David Guetta sits at 2.4 billion streams. “Unstoppable,” “Chandelier,” “Dusk Till Dawn” with singer Zayn, and “Cheap Thrills” have all surpassed 2 billion streams.
The “Cheap Thrills” version with Sean Paul, the Flo Rida-collab “Wild Ones,” “Elastic Heart,” and “Snowman” have more than 1 billion streams each.
Those numbers are not abstract. They represent the raw material Pophouse is buying into, and they explain why the company paid $180 million for a 50 percent share.
The Order of Events
- Sia sells a 50 percent stake in her catalog to Pophouse for $180 million.
- Pophouse secures a 50 percent stake in publishing and master recording rights, excluding name and likeness.
- Sia and Pophouse collaborate to develop an immersive digital avatar production.
- The show incorporates Sia’s songs as artist and songwriter, plus her vocals on hits like Rihanna’s “Diamonds.”
- The show debuts at least a couple of years out, with potential tours to select cities.
- Pophouse continues its catalog acquisitions, including Kiss, Tina Turner, and Iron Maiden.
A Clever Move
The deal is a smart play for both sides. Pophouse gets access to one of the most streamed catalogs in music, while Sia gets the resources of a company that knows how to build and operate large-scale immersive shows.
Abba Voyage has proven that virtual residencies can draw substantial crowds, and Kiss Forever is building toward a similar model in Las Vegas.
For Sia, the move is a calculated pivot into the digital realm. She is using her existing hits to fund a new direction, and she is doing it with a partner who has already built successful shows around other artists’ catalogs.
The debut is at least a couple of years out, and the details remain sparse. But the trajectory is set. Sia is moving from being a pop star who writes songs to being a pop star who builds immersive experiences, and the $180 million sale is the engine that makes that possible.
Source material: “Sia Sells 50 Percent Stake in Catalog for $180 Million in Preparation for Big Avatar Plans,” Rolling Stone.
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