Britney Spears no longer owns her music catalog after selling the rights to Primary Wave, marking another important moment in the pop star’s long and storied career.
The agreement, first reported by TMZ and later confirmed by various outlets, sees Primary Wave acquire Spears’ ownership stake in her catalogue, which includes many of the songs that defined late ’90s and ’00s pop.
While the exact terms have not been disclosed and remain under strict confidentiality agreements, sources familiar with the deal estimate the price will be in the nine figures, putting it in a similar range to Justin Bieber’s catalog sale of $200 million in 2023.
The agreement was reportedly signed on December 30.
Representatives for both Spears and Primary Wave have declined to comment publicly on the transaction.
Among the songs now controlled by Primary Wave are global hits such as …Baby one more time, Oops!…I did it again, (You drive me crazy), Lucky, Toxic, stronger, Womanizer, give me more, Circus, I am a slave 4 U, Overprotected, piece of me, Until the world ends and every timealong with dozens of other topics spanning his career.
Spears has songwriting credits on nearly 40 songs in her catalog, including fan favorites like every time, Work bitch! and me against the musicalthough many of their biggest singles were written by collaborators.
Primary Wave is an independent music publishing and rights management company whose catalog already includes big names such as Bob Marley, Prince, Whitney Houston, Stevie Nicks, Ray Charles, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Olivia Newton-John, Smokey Robinson and Boy George, among many others.
The company also runs a talent management division that represents artists such as Melissa Etheridge, Cypress Hill and Fantasia.
While details remain limited, industry sources suggest the deal likely includes Spears’ artistic royalties and publishing interests, although it is considered highly unlikely that her name and image rights were part of the sale.
These rights would normally command a significantly higher valuation than has been reported.
The sale places Spears among a growing list of high-profile artists who have cashed in on their catalogs in recent years, including Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Shakira, Neil Young and KISS.
For rights holders like Primary Wave, these acquisitions offer long-term opportunities in film, television, advertising and theater productions.
Those possibilities already exist for Spears’ music.
A biographical film based on his best-selling memoirs, The woman in meis currently in development at Universal Pictures, following the book’s release in 2023.
His songs have also been adapted for the Broadway musical. once upon a timewhich premiered the same year.
Spears has largely stepped back from the music industry in recent years.
He hasn’t released a studio album since 2016. Glory and performed live for the last time in October 2018, closing their piece of me tour at the Formula One Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
Plans for a second residence in Las Vegas, titled DominationThey were canceled in 2019 and have not returned to the stage since.
After being released from her 13-year conservatorship in 2021, Spears has maintained a relatively low public profile, although she remains active on social media.
With the catalog sale now complete, ownership of one of pop music’s most recognizable works has formally passed into new hands, even as Spears herself continues to define her relationship with fame, music and life on her own terms.
