How rich does Britney Spears stand to get if she heads to Vegas?
—Elijah, Phoenix, via Twitter
Well, put it this way: Pop banshee Celine Dion reportedly managed to scare $100 million out of Caesars Palace last year when she cut a new deal to perform in 210 shows over the next three years. Spears' vocal range isn't nearly so terrifying, but I have reason to believe that Britney could command an even bigger figure...
It's truly staggering how much a megastar can earn doing live shows in Las Vegas.
One source estimated to me that Beyoncé was once offered $80 million for a single year of shows. Names of that caliber are known for bringing in about four times what they charge, and that's just at the Vegas box office. (The stars reap millions more for the city indirectly, through hotel rooms, money spent on dining—you get the idea.)
As for what Spears might charge a venue like, say, Caesars, don't be shocked if she asks for—and gets—at least as much as Celine Dion, promoters and managers tell me.
"She has a narrower appeal" than, say, a Dion, one music business expert explains to me. But then again, it would be a "good look" for whoever scores Spears—in other words, a publicity coup worth paying extra for.
So how much more are we talking?
Well, consider: It wouldn't be unheard of for an act like Spears to gross—no joke—$2 million a week at a place like Caesars Palace, says Daren Libonati, president and COO of the promotion and production company Justice Entertainment Group. For the sake of our little exercise, let's then say that the venue agrees to pay Spears a salary of $1.2 million per week.
If she works, say, 40 weeks a year, that's $48 million a year for her. And if she signs up for a Dion-like residency of three years, well, ka-ching: $144 million.
"Deals such as this are based on scale," Libonati explains. "That's a very basic guess on what such a deal might look like. It could be even more."
If that sounds like a lot, consider what another source of mine says: "It's good branding for whoever signs with her."