Sia sells half of her music catalog to Pophouse, which did not disclose a price

Pophouse Entertainment said Thursday that it has acquired a 50% stake in Sia’s publishing and master music rights, without disclosing a price that TMZ, citing legal documents, reported as $180 million.

Confirmed By Roxy Vale · Staff Writer — Entertainment (Gossip Desk) Sweden / United States Published Oct 1, 2026, 1:02 PM PT Updated Oct 1, 2026, 1:02 PM PT

Close-up of a turntable cartridge and stylus resting on a spinning black vinyl record with an orange center label, against a dark background — illustrative stock — Photo: Barna Morvai / Pexels (illustrative stock; a turntable and record, not a Sia recording or anything connected to the deal)

CONFIRMED (Pophouse Entertainment (opens in new tab) announcement, Oct. 1): Stockholm-based Pophouse Entertainment (opens in new tab) said Thursday, Oct. 1, that it has acquired a 50% stake in the publishing and master music rights of Australian singer-songwriter Sia. The company said it will support her “in developing new creative ventures while continuing to steward her influential body of work,” and that the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. The announcement cites her billions of streams, nine Grammy nominations and hits including “Unstoppable,” “Chandelier,” “Elastic Heart” and “Cheap Thrills.” It does not state a price.

SIA, IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT: “I’m really excited to be working with Pophouse. These songs mean so much to me, and I love that they really understand that and want to take care of them. I’ve been making music for a very long time now, and it feels exciting to think about all the new and different ways these songs might get to live on and find people. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can dream up together.”

POPHOUSE, IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT: Chief executive Jessica Koravos said the partnership “will further empower Sia with strategic support and creative resources to continue pursuing her artistic ambitions while preserving and expanding her influence.” Fund partner Shahriar Shokofan said the firm is “delighted to partner with her at this point in her career,” citing “a shared ambition to support the continued growth of her catalogue and to unlock new audiences around the world.” Pophouse said it will work with Sia on “creative initiatives across a variety (opens in new tab) of formats” and that the investment was made through Pophouse Fund I, which it said closed in March 2025 at its €1 billion hard cap, with more than €200 million in additional co-investment capital.

THE PRICE, AS REPORTED (TMZ (opens in new tab), citing documents): TMZ (opens in new tab) reported on Wednesday, Sept. 30, that according to documents it obtained, the sale totals $180 million: $165 million for songs Sia wrote before she married Dan Bernad, including “Chandelier,” “Titanium” and “Cheap Thrills,” and $15 million for songs written after they married. TMZ (opens in new tab) reported that Bernad agreed to waive any claim to the $165 million in exchange for a $1 million payment, and that the $15 million will be held in escrow until the two agree on how to divide it. Billboard (opens in new tab) reported that Sia and Pophouse declined to disclose terms. Rolling Stone (opens in new tab) said it had confirmed the $180 million sale; Variety (opens in new tab) and Music Business Worldwide (opens in new tab) attribute the figure to TMZ (opens in new tab). Music Business Worldwide (opens in new tab) calculated that the reported price implies a $360 million valuation for the whole catalog.

WHAT THE STAKE COVERS (per the announcement): Pophouse describes the stake as publishing and master music rights. By comparison, the announcement says Pophouse’s July deal with Iron Maiden also included name, image and likeness rights.

CONTEXT (per the announcement, Variety (opens in new tab), Rolling Stone (opens in new tab) and Music Business Worldwide (opens in new tab)): Pophouse called the deal its third artist partnership of 2026, after Iron Maiden in July and a majority stake in Tina Turner’s music interests in March; its portfolio also includes Cyndi Lauper, KISS, Avicii and Swedish House Mafia. Variety (opens in new tab) and Rolling Stone (opens in new tab) describe Pophouse as co-founded by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus, and Music Business Worldwide (opens in new tab) says he co-founded it in 2014 with EQT founder Conni Jonsson. Rolling Stone (opens in new tab) and Music Business Worldwide (opens in new tab) report that Pophouse is a founding investor in the ABBA Voyage avatar show in London and is developing a KISS avatar show slated for 2028, which Rolling Stone (opens in new tab) says will be in Las Vegas. Variety (opens in new tab) and TMZ (opens in new tab) report that Sia and Bernad were married for less than three years before divorce papers were filed in March 2025.

Speculation

Pophouse paid $180 million for the stake.

Reported by TMZ, citing documents it obtained, and Rolling Stone said it had confirmed the sale price. Pophouse’s announcement gives no price, and Billboard reports that Sia and Pophouse declined to disclose terms.

Sia will launch an immersive avatar concert show with Pophouse.

Reported only by Rolling Stone, citing a source familiar with the deal: a show built around her songs as an artist and as a writer, at least a couple of years away, possibly touring select cities, and in the early stages of planning. The announcement refers only to “creative initiatives across a variety of formats.”

The stake does not include Sia’s name and likeness.

Reported only by Rolling Stone. Pophouse’s announcement describes the stake as publishing and master music rights and does not mention name or likeness.

Sia’s songs bring in $18 million a year in writing and performance royalties.

An estimate from an unnamed insider, reported only by Rolling Stone.

How the $15 million tied to songs written during the marriage will be divided.

TMZ reports the money will be held in escrow until Sia and Bernad agree on a split. No agreement or court ruling has been reported.

Bias check

Low Source-weighted (coverage mix)

The sale itself is on the record in Pophouse’s announcement. Every reported price traces back to TMZ’s document-based report, so the dollar figures are attributed rather than stated as fact. Details reported by a single outlet, including the avatar show, are listed as speculation.

Variety’s headline and first paragraph state the $180 million figure as the deal price, while its body attributes the number to TMZ. Rolling Stone says a source confirmed it; Billboard says terms were not disclosed.
Billboard dates TMZ’s report to Tuesday, Sept. 29; TMZ’s own page is time-stamped Wednesday, Sept. 30, and Music Business Worldwide also dates it to Sept. 30.
Billboard describes the split as songs written before and after 2022; TMZ and Variety describe it as songs written before and during the marriage, and Music Business Worldwide says the couple married in December 2022.
Billboard names Sia’s ex-husband as “David Bernhad”; TMZ and Variety name him Dan Bernad, and Music Business Worldwide uses Daniel Bernad.
Billboard calls the announcement a joint statement; it is a Pophouse release that includes a statement from Sia.
Pophouse puts its total fundraise at over €1.2 billion; Billboard says the fund closed with $1.3 billion.
Coverage comes mainly from music-industry and entertainment outlets; no general-news wire account was available.

Speculation also appears inline below the article body so it never blends into established facts.

Entertainment sources are often anonymous tipsters and fan chatter — treated as rumor fuel, not wire confirmation.