Reports indicate that the 44-year-old vocalist finalized an agreement with the independent music publisher Primary Wave on December 30, estimated at $200 million (£146 million).
Spears, whose prolonged conservatorship significantly impacted her private and professional experiences for numerous years, is renowned for iconic songs like …Baby One More Time, Oops!… I Did It Again, Toxic and Gimme More.
Primary Wave offered no response to a request for comment from the BBC . Representatives for Spears also chose not to comment.
In January of 2024, the vocalist declared she would “never return to the music industry.” Her most recent track was a collaboration with Elton John, launched in 2022. Primary Wave has also obtained rights to the catalogs of Notorious B.I.G., Prince, and Whitney Houston.
Specifics of the transaction, along with the precise value of the sale of Spears' collection, have not been officially revealed.
In recent times, other prominent musicians have similarly divested their music catalogs, including Bruce Springsteen, Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, and Shakira.
Springsteen parted with his catalog to Sony in 2021 for $500 million, and Bieber reportedly entered into a $200 million arrangement with Hipgnosis Songs Capital in 2023.
Primary Wave was established two decades ago by music executive Lawrence Mestel, after acquiring Kurt Cobain's 50% interest in the Nirvana catalog.
Britney Spears is among the top-selling female artists globally, boasting total sales exceeding 150 million albums. She has issued nine studio albums from her debut in 1999.
The sale unfolds following a challenging period in the vocalist's life. In 2021, she concluded 13 years under conservatorship, a legal arrangement where her father managed her finances and personal affairs.
Source: BBC