Britney Spears Sells Ownership Stake in Music Catalog to Primary Wave

Summary

• Britney Spears has sold her ownership stake in her recorded music and publishing catalog to independent publisher Primary Wave
• The deal was finalized on December 30, 2025, and includes era-defining hits such as “…Baby One More Time,” “Toxic,” and “Oops!… I Did It Again”
• Industry sources estimate the transaction value to be approximately $200 million USD, placing it among the most significant artist-rights acquisitions of the decade

Pop icon Britney Spears has entered into a “landmark deal” with music publisher Primary Wave, selling her ownership share of her music catalog. Legal documents finalized at the end of December 2025 confirm the transfer of rights for a library that defined the late-1990s and early-2000s pop landscape, marking one of Spears’ most substantial business moves since the termination of her conservatorship in 2021.

As per Rolling Stone, the acquisition encompasses Spears’ artist royalties and her share of publishing rights across her extensive discography, including nine studio albums released between 1999 and 2016. While Sony Music is understood to retain ownership of the original master recordings, Primary Wave now holds the rights to collect revenue from streams, television placements, and commercial licensing for hits like “Gimme More,” “Womanizer,” and “Circus”. Spears, who is managed by Cade Hudson, reportedly signed the agreement on December 30, 2025.

Though the exact dollar amount was not explicitly listed in the legal filings, sources familiar with the transaction describe the deal as being in the “low nine figures,” comparable to Justin Bieber’s $200 million USD catalog sale in 2023. This move aligns with a broader industry trend of legendary artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Stevie Nicks, monetizing their legacies through specialized publishers.