Members BlueStrat Posted February 10, 2008 Members Share Posted February 10, 2008 The Britney Economy by Duff McDonald February 2008 Issue To the casual tabloid reader, Britney Spears' life looks like a train wreck. To the Britney Industrial Complex, comprising everyone from paparazzi to perfume vendors, she is a gold mine. Whether she's shaving her head or battling for custody of her children, Britney seems to grow more fascinating (and to some people, more lucrative) every time she stumbles. Recent court documents suggest she's amassed a $125 million fortune and continues to rake in about $737,000 a month, or nearly $9 million a year. But that's chicken feed compared with the overall Britney economy. The Packagers Britney has sold 83 million records since the release of her debut album in 1999, bringing in more than $400 million to Jive Records, her recording company. Even her 2007 album sold well, despite her troubles. Her tours have grossed nearly $150 million; the average take for her 265 solo shows is $583,138, according to Pollstar, which tracks touring data. But there's a lot more of Britney for sale than her music: Pure Nightclub in Las Vegas reportedly sold seats at a table next to hers for $50,000 at a recent bash, and she still commands between $250,000 and $400,000 just for showing up at events. Elizabeth Arden has sold nearly $100 million worth of its Britney perfumes—Believe, Curious, and Fantasy. PepsiCo determined that it was worth paying her a reported $4 million to $10 million for a short-lived ad gig. Estimated annual take for record company, promoters, licensers, and others: $30 million to $40 million The Paparazzi A Britney photo garners anywhere from $250 (for a run-of-the-mill shot of her at Starbucks) to $100,000 or more. The photo agency X17, which has a team trailing her 24-7, estimates that Britney accounts for 30 percent of its revenue: It sold $2.5 million worth of Britney photos in 2007 alone, including $500,000 for its exclusive Bald Britney pics. Competitor Splash News says that Britney accounts for 10 to 15 percent of its business, boosted this year by $200,000 for photos of Britney in a hot tub. All told, Britney probably makes up a full 20 percent of the paparazzi business. Estimated average annual take: $4 million The Media If it seems like every time you see a newsstand, Britney is on the cover of another magazine, that's only because…she is. A celebrity tabloid with Britney Spears on the cover sells 1.28 million newsstand copies, some 33 percent more than the average. Between January 2006 and July 2007, Britney was a cover subject of People, Us Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style, OK!, or Star a total of 175 times in just 78 weeks. During that period, newsstand sales of issues with her on the cover amounted to a staggering $360 million. She's also topped the annual Yahoo Search rankings in six of the past seven years, slipping to No. 2 only in 2004, when Paris Hilton briefly stole her crown. Searches for Britney were up 60 percent in 2007, the year of her divorce, shaved head, and car wreck. "If there was no Britney, would all Web traffic stop?" asks Vera Chan, senior editor at Yahoo. "I would hesitate to give her that much power, but it's hard to argue with the facts." Estimated average annual take: $75 million K-Fed The most famous ex in America, Kevin Federline is living large off his Britney-fueled image. Nightclubs reportedly pay him about $30,000 just for appearing. And he gets $35,000 a month from Britney in spousal and child-support payments. Estimated average annual take: $1 million The Bottom Line Britney's peak touring and recording years are surely behind her, but the public's fascination with her chaotic life continues to mint money for those selling her image. Estimated annual value of the Britney Spears economy: $110 million to $120 million Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HKSblade1 Posted February 10, 2008 Members Share Posted February 10, 2008 not if they stop watching tmz type shows. clown has an audience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Trodden Posted February 10, 2008 Members Share Posted February 10, 2008 god bless america. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dean Roddey Posted February 10, 2008 Members Share Posted February 10, 2008 I heard she was going to be joining the WTO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ihateyouguys Posted February 10, 2008 Members Share Posted February 10, 2008 Just imagine the post-britney economy after she ends up like anna nicole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Standard8 Posted February 10, 2008 Members Share Posted February 10, 2008 There should be a windfall brittany tax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sabriel9v Posted February 11, 2008 Members Share Posted February 11, 2008 Other interesting reads:Any book by Donald PassmanConfessions of a Record Producer by Moses Avalon48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene...some other book I read a long time. They interview 50 stars and figures within the music industry. GREAT read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members r4wlie Posted February 11, 2008 Members Share Posted February 11, 2008 Its crazy how people could be intrested in her. She is nuts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kpfluger Posted February 11, 2008 Members Share Posted February 11, 2008 its just sad... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members schmatass Posted February 11, 2008 Members Share Posted February 11, 2008 Only in America.... do rewards abound for the {censored}ed in the head celebutards!!! {censored}, I'm on the wrong side of the business........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ihateyouguys Posted February 11, 2008 Members Share Posted February 11, 2008 If the britney economy slows down, we'll have to have a britney bailout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dean Roddey Posted February 12, 2008 Members Share Posted February 12, 2008 Only in America.... do rewards abound for the {censored}ed in the head celebutards!!! Well, her rewards came from being a musician who has done music that a lot of people like. There's nothing wrong there. You might not like her music, but clearly a lot of people do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gtrbass Posted February 12, 2008 Members Share Posted February 12, 2008 Its crazy how people could be intrested in her. She is nuts No, she has gone nuts because of how many people are interested in her. I'm no fan, but I really do feel sorry for her. I'm sure she brought some of it on herself, but she has obviously had a lot of bad advice from friends and handlers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members schmatass Posted February 12, 2008 Members Share Posted February 12, 2008 Well, her rewards came from being a musician who has done music that a lot of people like. There's nothing wrong there. You might not like her music, but clearly a lot of people do. Musician? LOL. She doesn't even play an instrument - much less write her own songs. She's a pop star known for her amazing lip-synching talent, living out a tabloid life which equals celebutard. There's a big difference. My opinion. thankyou very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundwave106 Posted February 12, 2008 Members Share Posted February 12, 2008 Only in America....do rewards abound for the {censored}ed in the head celebutards!!! Before Britney was a {censored}ed-in-the-head celebrity, she was a teen pop idol, which meant that she looked good and her management chose songwriters well. (Her singing was always so-so.) Her decline has only come in the last couple of years. This has kept her in the news. Christina Aguilera (a much better singer) came from the same era, and is doing modestly well today from what I know by ditching the club sound somewhat for some faux-40s stuff. Modest success isn't tabloid worthy, of course. American tabloids love to pick up on celebrities failing. It makes all the failures that read them feel good. Every (first world) nation I've been to has a tabloid culture. It may not be like America's celebrity-obsessed tabloid culture, but it's there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kurdy Posted February 12, 2008 Members Share Posted February 12, 2008 Every (first world) nation I've been to has a tabloid culture. It may not be like America's celebrity-obsessed tabloid culture, but it's there. True. The UK is probably even worse than we are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dean Roddey Posted February 12, 2008 Members Share Posted February 12, 2008 Musician? LOL. She doesn't even play an instrument - much less write her own songs. Is Roger Daltry a musician? AFAIK, he didn't play any instrument in the context of the Who and he didn't write the Who's songs. Singers are still musicians. And clearly a lot of people like what she does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kurdy Posted February 12, 2008 Members Share Posted February 12, 2008 Is Roger Daltry a musician? AFAIK, he didn't play any instrument in the context of the Who and he didn't write the Who's songs. Singers are still musicians. And clearly a lot of people like what she does. Technicalities aside, I cringe at the thought of Britney being considered a musician. She's an entertainer, yes. Regarding her singing, I remember seeing some old performance footage of her on TV from when she was young, and she had a powerful voice. So that would indicate she does have some musical talent; if she wanted to become a great singer, I think she could have. She just chose to go in a bit of a different direction instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members schmatass Posted February 12, 2008 Members Share Posted February 12, 2008 Before Britney was a {censored}ed-in-the-head celebrity, she was a teen pop idol, which meant that she looked good and her management chose songwriters well. (Her singing was always so-so.) Her decline has only come in the last couple of years. This has kept her in the news. Christina Aguilera (a much better singer) came from the same era, and is doing modestly well today from what I know by ditching the club sound somewhat for some faux-40s stuff. Modest success isn't tabloid worthy, of course. American tabloids love to pick up on celebrities failing. It makes all the failures that read them feel good. Every (first world) nation I've been to has a tabloid culture. It may not be like America's celebrity-obsessed tabloid culture, but it's there. Well said. I agree. I get so irritated at the Britney phenomenon because she brings this {censored} on herself. Her career has been building up to this point. It's typical cannibalistic Hollywood Babylon BS. Build'em up...Tear'em down. Why doesn't she do herself, her family and her career the biggest favor by getting out of L.A.? I mean, WTF does she expect in light of all the recent events? That taking a sunny drive down the 5 freeway everyone is suddenly going to leave her alone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Synonym Music Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 Technicalities aside, I cringe at the thought of Britney being considered a musician. She's an entertainer, yes. Regarding her singing, I remember seeing some old performance footage of her on TV from when she was young, and she had a powerful voice. So that would indicate she does have some musical talent; if she wanted to become a great singer, I think she could have. She just chose to go in a bit of a different direction instead. To that of a trained dog... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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