Cashing in on Britney Spears

If you keep up with celebrity news, Britney Spears looks like a walking disaster. It’s true. She’s either attacking the paparazzi, crashing her car, holding her kids hostage, back in rehab, attempting suicide, or giving the deserving public some much needed “crotch-shots.”

But guess what, she means a mint to those that profit from her! Britney impacts the cash flow of several different markets thal revolve around her very exisitence. Everything from music to perfume to tabloids — not to mention the photographers that trail her 24-7 (some she even dates).

Legal documents that surfaced during her divorce battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline show that the pop singer is worth about $125 million. And her current income — almost $750,000 a month! As ridiculous as that sounds, that’s just peanuts compared to the impact she has on those that stand to profit from her.

The paparazzi harasses Britney to no end, but the payout is worth it. A standard photo of Britney walking down the street can bring $250 and run up to about $100,000 if they happen to catch something really juicy like her damaging property. The photo agency X17 actually has a team that follows Britney just about every hour of every day!

Why? X17 estimates that about 30 percent of their revenue is attributed to Britney Spear photos. Yes, there is real money to be made in taking pictures of Britney doing nothing. In 2007, the photo agency sold $2.5 million dollars worth of Britney photos! The money shot came when they captured exclusive photos of Britney shaving her head bald. X17 cashed those pictures in to the tune of $500,000!

It is estimated that the paparazzi as a whole brings in about $4 million a year simply selling photographs of Britney. And all told, it is estimated that the scandal-plagued star makes up approximately 20 percent of the paparazzi’s revenue.

Why are people fascinated with Britney? I can’t really explain that, but I do know that Britney is a tabloid’s dream. Britney photos garner attention. A celebrity magazine or tabloid with a Britney Spears photo on the cover sells about 1.25 million copies – about 33 percent more than average! The perpetual onslaught by photographers is fueled by the public desire for Britney. Plain and simple, Britney adds about $75 million worth of value to tabloid and celebrity magazine sales.

Britney has also topped Yahoo Search’s rankings in 6 of the past 7 years! Paris Hilton actually took the crown in 2004, but Britney, being the bitch she is, kicked the hotel heiress to the curb to reclaim her title. Not only did she reclaim her title, but searches for Britney were up 60% in 2007!

Oh, and let’s not forget those that really have their hands in her pockets. Britney has sold over 83 million records since her debut – hauling in over $400 million! That’s a lot of dough, but don’t forget that the average take for any of her 265 sold out shows is just under $600,000 each. It is estimated that her record company, promoters, and licensors haul away about $35 to $40 million annually.

And then there is the easy money. Britney herself still gets anywhere from $250,000 to $400,000 just to show up at events. That’s more than most people will make in 8 to 10 years – and she makes it in a few hours!

Britney Spears has obviously cracked and she’s unlikely to regain her past momentum, but the public is still fascinated by her life. Will she go away? Not anytime soon. The total estimated value of Britney Spears to herself, her promoters, and the media is $110 to $120 million annually. Now, who’s the bitch?

Britney gets the last laugh.