Gene Simmons Considers KISS Catalog Sale a 'Natural Thing': 'Out of Respect and Love for the Fans' (Exclusive)

"We weren't looking for it," Simmons tells PEOPLE, "I'm certainly blessed"

If there's one thing Gene Simmons isn't afraid of, it's making bold business moves.

When the news was announced on Thursday, April 4 that Pophouse, a Swedish entertainment group, has purchased the entire KISS music catalog, likeness and brand name, Simmons tells PEOPLE it felt like the "natural thing" to do, even though he maintains that the band "weren't looking for it" initially.

"Life happens while you're busy making important plans," the legendary rocker says. "We were planning our respectful, proud walking off into the sunset, because we've been touring, we had been touring for half a century." But Simmons "didn't want to" go the route of continually touring until they physically couldn't anymore.

"I don't want to go out there with my walker," he jokingly adds.

Upon meeting the team at Pophouse, the band and them "broke bread, talked about our families and we got to be friends." As a result, Pophouse acquired the entirety of the KISS brand for an undisclosed sum, per the company's press release.

Pophouse Entertainment Group is the brainchild of Swedish billionaire Conni Jonsson and ABBA member Björn Ulvaeus, who began the company together in 2014 and have acquired the catalogs of Cyndi Lauper, Avicii and Swedish House Mafia, among other stars, in the time since. The company is also responsible for the ABBA Voyage digital concert currently running in London, of which Simmons notes, "If you haven't seen it, you'll be amazed."

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member adds, "We've all seen boxers and artists who will stay in the ring too long and get knocked out by some amateur. You don't want to do that, you want to go out on top. And we did it the right way, out of respect and love for the fans."

Related: Gene Simmons Defends JoJo Siwa's KISS-Like Look at 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards: 'She Looks Cool'

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Simmons reflects on "the end of KISS," calling it "a proud moment," while maintaining that under new direction from Pophouse, "the beginning of KISS is going to be something that will blow your socks off, like nothing you've ever not seen."

"If you take a look at Mother Nature, you either evolve or you become extinct," he reflects on the change in ownership after decades at the helm of KISS.

All-in-all, Simmons maintains that financial gain is "not what [the sale is] about. It's about enjoying life," while adding, "I'm certainly blessed."

Related: Gene Simmons Says the Only Time He's Gotten High Was by Mistakenly Eating 6 Weed Brownies: 'Wasn't Prepared'

With the deal for KISS's catalog finalized, Simmons is focusing on his upcoming tour with the Gene Simmons Band, his combination restaurant-bar-concert venue Rock & Brews and his partnership with ilani Casino, which he calls "terrific, amazing people" to work with.

"Rock & Brews is a proud achievement," he says, "It's an experience from the time you walk in."

The new Rock & Brews Restaurant & Concert Bar, located within the ilani Casino Resort in Ridgefield, Wash., boasts a 10,000+ square foot space with a 1,000-seat event space. "The highest form of praise is if you like something you tell your best friend ‘You got to check this out,' " Simmons explains of the feeling he wants fans to have upon visiting the new venue, "Anything worth doing is worth doing well."

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