Credited from: LATIMES
Pop icon Britney Spears has reportedly sold the rights to her entire music catalog, which features hits like "Baby One More Time" and "Toxic," to music publisher Primary Wave for around $200 million. This significant transaction is part of a broader trend where artists are choosing to sell their music rights as a lucrative investment strategy, leveraging the increasing consumption of music through streaming platforms, according to latimes, scmp, channelnewsasia, and bbc.
The sale, reported on February 10, indicates that Spears joins a growing list of prominent artists, such as Bruce Springsteen and Justin Bieber, who have sold their catalogs in recent years as the music rights market continues to thrive. Major record labels and specialized music publishers like Primary Wave are actively acquiring rights, establishing them as valuable long-term investments amid the current streaming era, according to scmp and channelnewsasia.
Spears, now 44, has had a tumultuous few years, having exited a conservatorship that controlled many aspects of her life, including finances. Her decision to sell comes shortly after her 2023 memoir, "The Woman in Me," explored her struggles during that time, and she has publicly stated she will "never return to the music industry," a sentiment underscoring her shift away from performing professionally, according to latimes and bbc.