Britney Spears has sold the rights to her extensive music catalog to the music publisher Primary Wave, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ and confirmed by other outlets. The deal, reportedly signed on December 30, includes many of her biggest hits, such as '…Baby One More Time,' 'Toxic,' and 'Oops!...I Did It Again.' Financial terms were not disclosed, though sources describe it as a landmark agreement in the nine-figure range.
In the past, the publishing rights to a song would belong to the songwriter and the publisher (companies like Sony and Universal Music), while the recording rights usually belonged to the artist who performed the song and the record labels, with everyone involved earning royalties. However, the music industry is starting to change. From Bob Dylan to Justin Timberlake, it seems everyone and their mother is cutting multi-million dollar deals to sell their song catalogs.
Click through this gallery to find out which other musicians have taken the plunge, and for how much.