Britney Spears Sells Music Catalogue to Primary Wave

Pop star Britney Spears has reportedly sold her music catalogue and associated rights to publishing company Primary Wave, in a deal tipped to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The terms of the agreement have not been publicly disclosed, and representatives for both Spears and Primary Wave declined to comment when contacted by media. The sale was first reported by TMZ, which estimated the deal’s value to be in the low nine figures, though that figure has not been confirmed.

The sale reportedly includes Spears’ artist royalties and publishing interests, covering songwriting credits on nearly 40 songs across her catalogue. Among the works believed to be part of the deal are fan favourites such as “Everytime”, “Me Against the Music” and “S&M”. Spears is credited as a co-writer on a significant portion of her discography.

Per Variety, it seems extremely unlikely that Spears’ NIL rights (name, image, likeness) were included in the deal, unless the final price far exceeds the figures currently being speculated. Control of NIL rights has become increasingly valuable in major catalogue transactions, particularly for globally recognised artists.

Primary Wave has built its business around acquiring stakes in major music catalogues and leveraging them across branding, film, television, and advertising. The company’s roster already includes works from artists such as Bob Marley, Stevie Nicks, Prince, Whitney Houston, and The Doors.

The reported sale comes as Spears continues to maintain a relatively low public profile following the end of her conservatorship in late 2021. She has not released a full-length studio album since 2016’s Glory, though she returned briefly to the charts in 2022 with “Hold Me Closer”, her collaborative single with Elton John.

In recent months, Spears dampened expectations of a US return, stating via Instagram that she would “never perform in the US again for extremely sensitive reasons.” She added, however, that she hopes to perform “with my son… in the UK and Australia very soon.”