Britney Spears’ meltdown worth $120m to the US economy

Britney Spears' spectacular fall from grace is worth a staggering $120 million a year to the US economy, new figures have revealed.

Those most likely to profit from the Spears cash cow include the record companies, perfume makers and Pepsi, according to Portfolio.com.

Firstly, Britney's record company, Jive, have sold nearly $500 million worth of Britney records since signing her in 1999.

Despite the Toxic singer dramatically shaving all her hair off early last year, and attacking people with umbrellas, she still manages to shift plenty of records, with her latest track 'Piece of Me' at number two in the charts.

Spears' seven tours - totaling 265 shows, have grossed nearly $150 million , with the average show raking in a cool $583,138, according to Pollstar.

And it would appear that just having proximity to the 26-year-old mother of two creates value for some club-goers, with Las Vegas' Pure Nightclub selling tables for $50,000 to be sat near the fallen pop princess.

Britney Spears' Believe, Curious, and Fantasy perfumes have helped Elizabeth Arden rake in nearly $100 million.

Britney is good for the non-alcoholic drinks industry, also - with Pepsi spending a reported $10 million on one short lived ad run.

And there's the paparazzi - who spend every waking hour trailing the 'Gimme More' singer.

US agency X17 claims that a good picture of Britney can fetch over $100,000 . They say her pictures account for 30 per cent of their total revenue.

Last year, the company made $2.5 million from Britney photos, including those infamous bald pictures of the her head-shaving session for $500,000 alone.

And X17 competitor, Splash News, say the singer accounts for 15 per cent of their total business.

In total, the singer's pictures account for an astonishing 20 per cent of the paparzzi business.

And obviously, with that sort of money for Britney pictures changing hands, you can expect the singer's mug to be on the cover of nearly every single magazine - and you do. The singer sells, on average, 1.28 million copies per issue, 33 per cent more on average than covers featuring other stars.

In 2007, Britney graced the covers of, People, Us Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style, and OK! 175 times in 78 weeks, with sales totaling $360 million in that period. She also tops Yahoo's web search engine poll for the last 6 of 7 years.

And lastly.

Britney's estranged husband Kevin Federline also cashes in on the back of troubled singer, receiving a reported $30,000 for turning up at clubs, her 16-year-old sister Jamie Lynn Spears has made $1 million from after selling her pregnancy story to OK! magazine, and now her mum (Lynn Spears) plans a book on parenting off the back of her daughter's meltdown.

And Britney's not doing too bad herself, raking in a reported $737,000 a month , $9 million a year - with her reportedly being worth an estimated $125 million.

By Owen Williams, Jan 16 2008 © Copyright 2008 - Showbiz Spy