Sia has sold 50% of her musical catalog for $180 million (about €153 million), Rolling Stone has confirmed. The buyer is Pophouse, the Swedish catalog investment company co-founded by Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA. The deal covers the publishing rights and the original master recordings of her songs, but does not include her name or likeness.
The move also paves Sia’s entry into the world of digital avatars. The artist will collaborate with Pophouse on an immersive show built around her music, including songs she performs as well as those she has written for other artists. The project will also use her voice on hits such as Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” which has surpassed 2 billion streams on Spotify. The premiere is still a couple of years away and could travel to multiple cities.
The move makes sense given Sia’s track record. “Titanium,” her collaboration with David Guetta, has roughly 2.4 billion streams on Spotify, while “Unstoppable,” “Chandelier,” “Dusk Till Dawn” with Zayn, and “Cheap Thrills” each exceed 2 billion. Pophouse is behind ABBA Voyage, ABBA’s virtual show in London, and is also shaping avatar projects for Kiss and Iron Maiden. In March it also became the majority shareholder, together with BMG, of Tina Turner’s music interests.
Beyond selling part of her catalog, Sia has not withdrawn from music, having recently co-written the new album for Chaka Khan and collaborated with rapper Tobe Nwigwe on “Disguise” and with Indian singer Diljit Dosanjh on “Ranjha.” Her most recent album, “Reasonable Woman,” dates from 2024. The deal with Pophouse thus signals a new phase for her catalog, which will continue to generate revenue while the company prepares a digital show based on her songs.
