Britney Spears Shocks Fans with Full Music Catalog Sale
Pop icon Britney Spears has reportedly sold the rights to her entire music catalogue in a deal said to be worth around $200 million (£146 million).
The 44-year-old singer is understood to have reached an agreement with independent music publisher Primary Wave on 30 December. Neither Primary Wave nor Spears’ representatives responded to requests for comment.
Spears is behind a string of global hits including …Baby One More Time, Oops!… I Did It Again, Toxic and Gimme More. In January 2024, she said she would “never return to the music industry.” Her most recent release was a 2022 duet with Elton John.
Primary Wave has previously acquired rights connected to major artists and estates including The Notorious B.I.G., Prince and Whitney Houston. However, full details of Spears’ deal — including the exact terms and final price — have not been publicly disclosed.
Spears joins a growing list of high-profile artists who have sold their catalogues in recent years. Bruce Springsteen sold his back catalogue to Sony in 2021 for a reported $500 million, while Justin Bieber is said to have struck a $200 million deal with Hipgnosis Songs Capital in 2023. Other artists, including Justin Timberlake and Shakira, have also made similar moves.
Founded two decades ago by music executive Lawrence Mestel, Primary Wave began after he acquired 50% of Kurt Cobain’s share of the Nirvana catalogue.
One of the best-selling female artists of all time, Spears has sold more than 150 million records worldwide and released nine studio albums since her 1999 debut.
The reported sale follows a turbulent period in her personal life. In 2021, Spears ended a 13-year conservatorship that gave her father control over her finances and key aspects of her life. She later detailed her experiences in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me. Her former husband, Kevin Federline, released his own memoir, You Thought You Knew, in late 2025.















