The Princess of Pop, rumoured to be heading to Australia on tour soon, Britney Spears has reportedly sold her music catalogue to Primary Wave.
According to Variety, two sources have confirmed the claims. However, Britney and her manager Cade Hudson have not confirmed the news.
The news was first broken by TMZ who claim that it was a “landmark deal” on par with the $200 million sell of Justin Bieber’s music.
The music catalogue includes Britney’s top hits including “…Baby One More Time,” “(You Drive ME) Crazy,” “I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” “Lucky”, “Toxic”, “Piece of Me” and more.
It’s believed that this deal with Britney Spears has been okayed by the artist.
In addition to her music, other elements including artist royalities and publishing rights are believed to be included. However, it’s not likely that her likeness and name rights were included.
Britney Spears hasn’t released a new album since Glory in 2016 and her last performance was for her Piece of Me tour which concluded in October 2018. She was meant to return to her second residecncy at Las Vegas in 2019, but it was put on hold indefinitely.
Britney was released from her controversial 13-year conservatorship in 2021 and has been keeping a low profile ebsides sharing some updates on her social media account.
She recently said she would be open to going on tour again soon, just not in the USA. However, Australia is on the list!
“I will never perform in the U.S. again because of extremely sensitive reasons but I hope to be sitting on a stool with a red rose in my hair, in a bun, performing with my son… in the UK and AUSTRALIA very soon,” she wrote in a post. Read more here.
What does it mean when a singer sells their music catalogue?
When a singer (or band or songwriter) sells their music catalogue, they’re basically selling the rights to some or all of their songs — usually including the money those songs will earn in the future and sometimes the control over how they’re used.
Owning the catalogue means you own the copyright and receive the income when the music is played or licensed.
When an artist sells their music catalogue they normally get a lump sum payment upfront and give up most or all future royalties and often lose control over how the music is used. For instance, they may not be able to prevent their music being used at a political event or in a film or television show.
Britney joins the ranks of other world-renowned artists who have sold their music catelogis including Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, and Stevie Nicks. Famously, Taylor Swift’s music catalogue was sold to a third party, to her chagrin. In response, the artist re-recorded her albums creating “Taylor’s Versions”. Finally, in 2025, she bought back her music catalogue in what’s believed to be a multi-million dollar deal.
Major music catalogue sale values
Note: catalogue sales are often undisclosed, so most figures are industry estimates or ranges.
| Artist | Approx. sale value | What was sold | Year | Buyer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Springsteen | ~US$500M+ | Publishing + masters (entire catalogue) | 2021 | Sony |
| Bob Dylan | ~US$300M–$400M+ | Publishing (600+ songs); later masters also sold separately | 2020–2022 | Universal (publishing), Sony (masters) |
| Taylor Swift* | ~US$300M+ (company-to-company resale estimate) | Early masters (first 6 albums — sold between companies) | 2019–2020 | Ithaca → Shamrock |
| Justin Bieber | ~US$200M+ | Publishing + some recording rights (pre-2022 catalogue) | 2023 | Hipgnosis Songs Capital |
| Katy Perry | ~US$225M (reported) | Publishing + recording rights (2008–2020 era catalogue) | 2023 | Litmus Music |
| Neil Young | ~US$150M | 50% of publishing catalogue | 2021 | Hipgnosis |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | ~US$140M+ | Song catalogue (publishing rights) | 2021 | Hipgnosis |
| Stevie Nicks | ~US$100M | ~80% of songwriting catalogue | 2020 | Primary Wave |
| Justin Timberlake | >US$100M | Entire catalogue | 2022 | Hipgnosis |
| Imagine Dragons | >US$100M | Entire catalogue (to 2020) | 2020 | Concord |
| Mötley Crüe | ~US$150M | Entire catalogue | 2021 | BMG |
| The Beach Boys | ~US$100M–$200M | Songs + brand/IP elements | 2021 | Iconic Artists Group |
| Britney Spears | ~US$200M (reported) | Music catalogue rights | 2025 | Primary Wave |
| Dr. Dre | US$200M+ | Mixed catalogue rights (solo + producer + royalties) | 2023 | Shamrock + UMG |
* Her early masters were originally sold as part of a deal valued around US$300 million, then resold to Shamrock Capital.
