Taylor Swift buys back her masters, while other musical artists don't mind selling their catalogs. There is a give and take to both approaches. Britney Spears took the latter.
According to TMZ, on December 30, Spears sold her back catalog to a company called Primary Wave, one that has been snatching up a bunch of catalogs, or at least buying a stake in them. The exact amount of the deal is unknown (just like with everything Spears, money might get a little weird), but TMX reported that the agreement might be close to $200 million.
This means if you want to play a clip of "...Baby One More Time," or "Oops!...I Did It Again" (Britney does love her ellipses), instead of contacting the representatives of Spears, you'll need to go through Primary Wave. They own the music now.
Britney Spears reportedly sells her catalog for quite a bit of money
Deals like this can be viewed in a bunch of different ways, and they all come down to the same factor: Money. For the musical artist who wants to sell their catalog, the money made can be substantial. $200 million is a lot, of course, but Bob Dylan has reportedly sold his rights for as much as $600 million.
For the fan of the artist, it can feel as if the musician is selling a piece of us. After all, we are the ones who buy the music and merchadise and tickets that give the record company and musical artist their living. Selling one's catalog is a bit like selling us right along with it.
The brutal truth is, though, that musicians sometimes get into the business to make a livelihood. If they have a chance to earn generational wealth, who can blame them? If it is money they are after, that is.
The other side to that is that music is also art. Selling the rights to songs for tens (or hundreds) of millions of dollars feels almost disingenuous. The art is gone. The purity of the music, and the reason the tune was even written, leaves, too. All that is left is the bones of the music business itself. Loads of money are made, but it feels like someone else created the songs.
The difference with Britney Spears is that she likely deserves what she can get. She had her business managed for years, and she likely lost out on what was rightfully hers. No longer. She is about $200 million richer in the last month.