Britney Spears has reportedly sold her rights to her music catalogue in a deal said to be worth around $200 million.
According to reports, the pop princess has sold her ownership rights to Primary Wave, an independent music publisher that controls or owns stakes in music catalogs.
The exact terms of the deal—including which rights were sold and the final valuation—have not been publicly confirmed. Newsweek reached out to representatives for Britney Spears via email and Primary Wave via a contact form on its website.
Spears, widely regarded as one of the most influential pop stars of all time, is best known for hits such as “…Baby One More Time,” “Oops!… I Did It Again,” “Toxic,” and “Gimme More.” She was freed from a court-ordered conservatorship on November 12, 2021, after 13 years of her father, Jamie Spears, having substantial control over her estate and autonomy.
Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing at a young age and appeared on The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993 to 1994. She was catapulted to global fame at just 16 years old with the release of her debut single “…Baby One More Time” in 1998, which became an instant worldwide hit.
She went on to become one of the best-selling female artists of all time, with more than 150 million records sold worldwide. Marketed early in her career as the quintessential “girl next door,” Spears’ immense popularity also made her private life a fixture of tabloid scrutiny. In 2007, she famously shaved her head—an act she has since described as an act of rebellion amid intense public and legal pressure.
In January 2024, Spears wrote on Instagram, “I will never return to the music industry!!!” In 2023, she released her bestselling memoir, The Woman in Me, which detailed her experiences living under conservatorship and growing up in the public eye.
Over the course of her career, Spears has released nine studio albums and earned more than 20 top-40 hits in the United States. Her discography spans nearly two decades and includes some of the most commercially successful pop releases of the late 1990s and 2000s.
According to legal documents reviewed by TMZ, Spears sold her “ownership share,” but it is not clear which rights exactly were transferred.
The 44-year-old is not credited as the main songwriter for most of her hits, so most of her earnings are tied to the artist royalties associated with master recordings.
Brandon Dorsky, an intellectual property attorney at Law Offices of Brandon Dorsky, told Newsweek: “A catalogue sale typically covers only the rights actually owned by the seller, which, in the case of an artist, may or may not include every song the artist has made depending on the rights the artist personally owns.
“If an artist has previously sold some of their rights and not reacquired them, or was featured on recordings or compositions in which they did not retain any rights, a catalogue sale would be unlikely to include those rights other than potentially a right to acquire those rights on a reversion in the case of rights that had been previously sold.
“Artists do not necessarily retain rights, other than a right to receive a percentage of royalties from exploitation, whenever the recording artist records a cover of a song for a label that they do not own.”
Britney Spears’ Back Catalogue
Below is a comprehensive overview of Britney Spears’ released music catalogue across her studio albums and singles, not including collaborations with other artists.
Studio albums
…Baby One More Time (1999)
– …Baby One More Time
– (You Drive Me) Crazy
– Sometimes
– Soda Pop
– Born to Make You Happy
– From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
– I Will Be There
– I Will Still Love You (with Don Philip)
– Thinkin’ About You
– E-Mail My Heart
– The Beat Goes On
Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
– Oops!… I Did It Again
– Stronger
– Don’t Go Knockin’ on My Door
– (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
– Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know
– What U See (Is What U Get)
– Lucky
– One Kiss from You
– Where Are You Now
– Can’t Make You Love Me
– When Your Eyes Say It
– Dear Diary
Britney (2001)
– I’m a Slave 4 U
– Overprotected
– Lonely
– I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman
– Boys
– Anticipating
– I Love Rock ’n’ Roll
– Cinderella
– Let Me Be
– Bombastic Love
– That’s Where You Take Me
– What It’s Like to Be Me
In the Zone (2003)
– Me Against the Music
– (I Got That) Boom Boom
– Showdown
– Breathe on Me
– Early Mornin’
– Toxic
– Outrageous
– Touch of My Hand
– The Hook Up
– Shadow
– Brave New Girl
– Everytime
Blackout (2007)
– Gimme More
– Piece of Me
– Radar
– Break the Ice
– Heaven on Earth
– Get Naked (I Got a Plan)
– Freakshow
– Toy Soldier
– Hot as Ice
– Ooh Ooh Baby
– Perfect Lover
– Why Should I Be Sad
Circus (2008)
– Womanizer
– Circus
– Out from Under
– Kill the Lights
– Shattered Glass
– If U Seek Amy
– Unusual You
– Blur
– Mmm Papi
– Mannequin
– Lace and Leather
– My Baby
– Radar
Femme Fatale (2011)
– Till the World Ends
– Hold It Against Me
– Inside Out
– I Wanna Go
– How I Roll
– (Drop Dead) Beautiful
– Seal It with a Kiss
– Big Fat Bass
– Trouble for Me
– Trip to Your Heart
– Gasoline
– Criminal
Britney Jean (2013)
– Alien
– Work B**ch
– Perfume
– It Should Be Easy
– Tik Tik Boom
– Body Ache
– Til It’s Gone
– Passenger
– Chillin’ with You
– Don’t Cry
Glory (2016)
– Invitation
– Do You Wanna Come Over?
– Make Me…
– Private Show
– Man on the Moon
– Just Luv Me
– Clumsy
– Slumber Party
– Just Like Me
– Love Me Down
– Hard to Forget Ya
– What You Need
Singles (Selected)
Swimming in the Stars (2020)
…Baby One More Time (1998)
Born to Make You Happy (1999)
Sometimes (1999)
Soda Pop (1999)
(You Drive Me) Crazy (1999)
From the Bottom of My Broken Heart (2000)
Lucky (2000)
Stronger (2000)
My Only Wish (This Year) (2000)
Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know (2001)
I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman (2001)
I’m a Slave 4 U (2001)
Overprotected (2001)
I Love Rock ’n’ Roll (2002)
Anticipating (2002)
Toxic (2004)
Everytime (2004)
Outrageous (2004)
My Prerogative (2004)
(I’ve Just Begun) Having My Fun (2004)
Do Somethin’ (2005)
Someday (I Will Understand) (2005)
Gimme More (2007)
Break the Ice (2008)
Piece of Me (2008)
Radar (2008)
Womanizer (2008)
Circus (2009)
If U Seek Amy (2009)
3 (2009)
Hold It Against Me (2011)
Till the World Ends (2011)
I Wanna Go (2011)
Criminal (2011)
Ooh La La (2013)
Work B****h! (2013)
Private Show (2016)
Do You Wanna Come Over? (2016)
Clumsy (2016)
Read the full article here
