January 25, 2008

'Britney Spears Economy' Brings In Millions For Magazines, Label, Paparazzi

By Gil Kaufman (MTV.com)

There are plenty of reasons to feel sorry for Britney Spears, but the troubled pop star's financial situation isn't one of them. Worth an estimated $125 million, the sometime singer reportedly still earns around $737,000 a month, which, you can assume, is not for what passes for her "job" these days: getting in and out of her car, shopping, eating at restaurants and missing court dates.

But even though she isn't making any money touring - and she's not likely raking in much dough from the bombing Blackout - Spears isn't the only one making millions off her shenanigans. Portfolio magazine has published an account of who is banking off Brit, ranging from her label to the ever-present paparazzi, ex-husband Kevin Federline, celebrity magazines and the companies that license the singer's name.

Among those cashing in, according to the magazine:

» Jive Records, which has brought in more than $400 million thanks to the 83 million albums the singer has sold.

» Tour promoters and venues - Her tours have grossed $150 million, with the average take for her 265 solo shows at $583,138 each.

» Pure Nightclub - The Las Vegas hotspot reportedly sold seats at a table next to Britney's for $50,000 at a recent party. Portfolio says Spears still pulls down between $250,000 and $400,000 just for showing up at events.

» Perfume maker Elizabeth Arden - The company has sold nearly $100 million worth of the Spears scents Believe, Curious and Fantasy.

» The paparazzi - Photos of Britney can bring in anywhere from $250 for a basic going-to-get-a-cup-of-coffee shot to $100,000 or more for an exclusive. Photo agency X17, which has a team that trails the singer everywhere she goes 24/7, estimates that Britney accounts for 30 percent of its revenue. In 2007 alone, X17 sold $2.5 million worth of Britney photos, including $500,000 for its exclusive pics of the singer's head-shaving incident. Britney accounts for 10-15 percent of business for competitor Splash News, which brought in $200,000 for photos of Britney in a hot tub. At this point, the magazine estimates, Britney alone accounts for 20 percent of all paparazzi business.

» Celebrity magazines - Between January 2006 and July 2007, Portfolio reports that Britney was a cover subject of People, Us Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style, OK! and Star a total of 175 times in just 78 weeks, accounting for sales of $360 million. A celebrity tabloid with Spears on the cover sells an average of 1.28 million newsstand copies, which is almost 33 percent more than the non-Spears issue.

» Yahoo! - She's topped the annual Yahoo search rankings in six of the past seven years, dropping to No. 2 in 2004 when fellow tabloid staple Paris Hilton briefly stole her thunder. Searches for Britney were up 60 percent in 2007, the year of her divorce, shaved head and car wreck.

» Kevin Federline - Though his solo album flopped hard, K-Fed can still pull down almost $30,000 for nightclub appearances, thanks to the Britney connection, which nicely compliments the $35,000 a month he gets from his ex in spousal and child-support payments.

What does all that Britney action add up to for her galaxy of dependents? Portfolio puts the final tally of the Britney Economy at $110-120 million a year. Gimme gimme more, indeed.