Britney Spears sells the rights to her music catalog

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Britney Spears scored the early 2000s with hits from “Oops!… I Did It Again” to “Toxic.”

Britney Spears has reportedly signed a deal with music publisher Primary Wave worth around $200 million, giving them ownership of her song rights. The specific terms of the agreement haven’t been made public, according to NBC News.

Founded two decades ago with a stake in Kurt Cobain’s music publishing, Primary Wave now holds the rights to songs by iconic artists like Bob Marley, Stevie Nicks, and Whitney Houston, as well as many others.

Representatives for both Primary Wave and Britney Spears haven’t yet responded to requests for comment from The New York Times.

Books

‘Hit Girls’ takes a close look at the 2000s, exploring the decade’s impact through the careers of popular singers like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Rihanna.

Investing in music rights has become more and more common recently, thanks to the growth of the music industry driven by streaming services. Because platforms like Spotify and Apple Music give people access to huge music collections, people are listening to more music, including older artists who are experiencing renewed popularity. Increased use of music in films and TV shows is also contributing to this trend, and with the current wave of nostalgia for the early 2000s, now could be a particularly good time to invest in artists like Britney Spears.

In 2021, deals involving the purchase of music rights totaled over $5 billion, according to Music Business Worldwide, as reported by The Times. Songwriting catalogs were also worth roughly double what they had been over the previous 25 years.

Several prominent musicians have recently sold the rights to their music for substantial sums. In 2021, Bruce Springsteen sold his entire catalog of recordings and songs to Sony Music Entertainment for $500 million. Shortly after, David Bowie’s estate sold his songwriting catalog to Warner Chappell Music for $250 million. Artists like ZZ Top, Tina Turner, and Paul Simon also made similar deals around the same period.

Hollywood Inc.

As a huge music fan, I’ve been noticing a really interesting trend lately: songwriters like Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, and even legends like Bob Dylan are selling the rights to their songs. It seems there’s a big demand for owning these catalogs of popular music, and they’re really benefiting from it!

In 2023, Britney Spears published her memoir, “The Woman in Me,” detailing her journey to fame and her lengthy struggle to end a conservatorship that began in 2008 due to concerns about her mental health. A book by music writer Jeff Weiss, titled “Waiting for Britney Spears: A True Story, Allegedly,” and published in 2025, covered the same period, including both accurate and invented information about the singer’s life.

Following Britney Spears’ memoir last year, her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, released his own book, “You Thought You Knew,” where he made several accusations, including that Spears used cocaine while breastfeeding their second son. Spears responded to these claims on social media, denying they were true.

Television

The TV show “Star Search” famously launched the careers of artists like Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, and Beyoncé. Now, Netflix is bringing the show back to find the next generation of global superstars.

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2026-02-11 03:01