Britney Spears And Team Discuss The Business Of Britney In ‘Variety’ And Confirm She’s Still Recording

Bradley Stern | August 29, 2014 11:46 am

The Business Of The Legendary Miss Britney Spears is a mighty thing: From her albums, to her ongoing Piece Of Me residency in Las Vegas, to her billion dollar perfume empire with Elizabeth Arden, Hasbro deals and her recent foray into lingerie, she truly is the definition of a work bitch.

As a result, Variety took a deep dive into the legacy behind Brit Brit to explore her many business ventures, as well as the way her team operates and what lies ahead.

For one thing, Brit’s truly the CEO of Britney Spears, according to business manager Lou Taylor, bitch.

From Variety:

“I think Britney truly conceives of herself as a corporate executive officer, and the organic desire she has for any sort of brand ideas or sponsorship, show ideas, music ideas, all really start at the top with her. I think that’s probably the thing that most people don’t understand about how she operates.” Spears herself isn’t sure she’d call herself a CEO — “but that’s very sweet of Lou to say,” she says — though she acknowledges that recent years have taught her the importance of clear-eyed career planning.

Along the way, the team also discusses Britney’s musical legacy, including her most recent offering, 2013’s Britney Jean, which underperformed by usual Spears standards — although CAA’s head of music, Rob Light, doesn’t seem to mind.

“Honestly, trying to compare record sales in 2014 to anything anyone had in the past is an impossible task, because it is such a broken business,” says Light. “The actual sales are never going to be the same, but if the social media numbers stay high, and her audience stays incredibly active, we’re feeling great.” Tom Corson, president of RCA Records, concurs. “Britney is still near the top of the bell curve,” he says. “If you have an album that’s somewhat less successful than prior albums, it can be a reflection of a lot of things. But what you know is that the artist is still selling tickets, the artist is still viable in the marketplace, the artist brand still has resonance.”

Perhaps most exciting of all? The article confirms she’s renewed her contract with RCA Records. And, although some fans were concerned that the combined one-two punch of Britney Jean‘s commercial underperformance and the 2-year Piece Of Me stint would lead to an early retirement, B-Girl’s still going strong(er than yesterday). Why? Because she needs “constant motion” in her life, y’all. Duh! (Side note: Can we petition to make that a new album title?)

“In my off-time I do record,” Spears says. “Once in a while I’ll just go into the studio if there’s a really good song that I have in my head and want to do. I think as artists you’re constantly in creative motion. If I stopped writing songs then that’s a part of me that would stop in my life, and I need constant motion… I’m definitely more in a creative space now. You have more time to go there spiritually in your home with a piano than you would being in a hotel room.”

Over sixteen years after her debut single, and she’s still handlin’ her business — and ready to give us more (moah). That’s our girl!

What do you think about the Business of Brit Brit? Let us know in the comments below.

Get an eyeful of even more pop music coverage, from artist interviews to exclusive performances, on Idolator’s YouTube channel.