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Published on: 02/12/2026 - 11:19

After Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan or Justin Bieber, Britney Spears would have sold her entire musical catalog for 200 million dollars. An operation which illustrates the transformation of songs into real financial assets, prized by the majors… and now by investment funds.

Britney Spears reportedly sold all of her music rights for around $200 million at the end of December, according to TMZ. An operation which allows it to free up cash, now that it is no longer under supervision and which is above all part of a major trend in the industry.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many stars have sold their catalogs: Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry. The record goes to the group Queen, whose catalog was sold for more than 1.2 billion dollars. Part of that of the Beatles is also among the most expensive transactions.

Songs transformed into financial investments

Long reserved for record companies like Sony Music Entertainment or Universal Music Group, these buyouts now attract specialized funds such as Primary Wave. But above all, financial giants like BlackRock or KKR are positioning themselves in this market.

Why such enthusiasm? Because a music catalog generates regular income: streaming, radio broadcasts, advertising placements or synchronizations in series on Netflix. A hit from the 1990s can go viral again on TikTok and generate royalties for decades. According to projections from Goldman Sachs, the global music market could almost double by 2035. Catalogs are often valued at between 15 and 25 times their annual revenues.

An investment not without risk

Certain individuals can access it indirectly via shares or specialized funds, thus becoming "co-owners" of a portfolio of songs. But the model remains dependent on platforms like Spotify or Amazon Music and their algorithms. And some artists sometimes regret their choice: once sold, the titles can be used without their control. Several stars have chosen to take back control. Taylor Swift thus paid between 600 million and a billion dollars to recover her rights, two to three times the sale price. The price of his independence.

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