Group behind Abba Voyage holds talks to resurrect digital Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley, known as “the King of Rock and Roll”, is the next singer who could be revived in hologram form for live performances by the Swedish entertainment company Pophouse.

Co-founded by Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus, Pophouse has held discussions with the owners of Presley’s intellectual property to bring back the US star in digital avatar form for live shows, according to people familiar with the matter.

Sony Music owns the rights to the musician’s work, while intellectual property including Presley’s image and likeness is owned by investment company Authentic Brands Group.

The discussions between Pophouse, Sony and ABG have been focused on a commercial partnership rather than a sale of the music rights or intellectual property, some of the people said.

This means that a deal would be different from the recent $300mn acquisition of the music and image rights to the rock band Kiss. Pophouse will create a live music show featuring avatars of the members of Kiss, similar to Abba Voyage, the London show that features digital versions of the members of the Swedish band playing their hits.

There is no certainty a deal will be reached, people close to the talks added.

Abba’s Ulvaeus hinted at the potential partnership at a private equity conference in Berlin earlier this month, saying he “would like to work with Elvis. I would like to see the young Elvis come alive again”.

He spoke alongside Conni Jonsson, chair of Swedish private equity group EQT and a co-founder of Pophouse, who said that while Presley performed for American audiences during his career “maybe the rest of the world would like to see Elvis Presley”.

Fans in London will be able to see a holographic version of Presley already from this November when a venture called Layered Reality launches its “Elvis Evolution” experience that will incorporate virtual reality and holographic projections, according to its website.

Pophouse began investing in music catalogues two years ago by acquiring the majority share of the catalogues of Swedish dance acts Avicii and Swedish House Mafia.

The company is the lead investor and co-producer behind the Abba Voyage virtual concert. Pophouse has also acquired Cyndi Lauper’s music catalogue.

Per Sundin, chief executive of Pophouse, was previously managing director of Universal Music Sweden and president of Universal Music in the Nordic region.

Pophouse, Sony and ABG declined to comment.