Singer Britney Spears sells rights to her music catalogue

Britney Spears has reportedly sold the rights to her music catalogue in a deal believed to be worth around $200 million, according to US media reports.

The agreement includes hits such as “…Baby One More Time” and “Oops!… I Did It Again,” songs that helped define late 1990s and early 2000s pop music. Celebrity news outlet TMZ cited sources familiar with the transaction, though it noted that the exact figure is not specified in the legal documents.

The reported sum places Spears’ deal in a similar range to that of Justin Bieber, who sold his catalogue in 2023. Spears, 44, joins a growing list of major artists who have monetised their music rights in recent years, including Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Shakira and KISS.

US outlets reported that the rights were acquired by Primary Wave, a music publisher whose portfolio includes works by Whitney Houston, Bob Marley and Prince.

Publishing rights entitle owners to receive royalties whenever songs are streamed, broadcast, sold, or used in films and advertising. The expanding music rights market has become increasingly attractive to investors in the streaming era, offering long-term revenue streams.

Major record companies such as Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have also expanded their presence in the catalogue acquisition space, alongside specialist firms like Recognition Music Group and Concord Music Publishing.

Spears rose to global fame in the late 1990s but has largely stepped back from the music industry in recent years. In 2021, a US court ended a 13-year conservatorship that had given her father control over her financial affairs, an arrangement she had publicly described as abusive.