Is The Business Of Britney In A Recession?

The following italicized article is from www.accesshollywood.com:

Britney Spears’ second release from the psych ward was a gold mine for the paparazzi.

Between tabloids, her recording career and her life in general, the revenue generated from all things Britney brought in up to $120 million in the past year. But now that Britney is staying home, is the business of Britney in a recession?

"Since her father has her under his control, we certainly haven't seen the number of photos that we used to see coming in of Britney," X-17 co-owner Brandy Navarre told Access Hollywood. "The subject of the photo is just not as interesting as it once was, so the prices do go down."

X-17 saw a 10 percent increase in overall profits with the help of exclusive photos like bald Britney, which made them a half-million dollars.

Now, with the pop star’s recent cleaned-up behavior, the amount of Britney pictures are way down – from more than 1,000 a day to a couple hundred, forcing the photo agency to change focus.

"It’s a different game now," Navarre explained. "It's a different challenge. We're moving on to other celebrities like Brad [Pitt] and Angelina [Jolie and] Jamie Lynn Spears. We’ve moved on to Britney’s sister."

Needles to say, Britney has shifted in priority.

"We had as many as maybe10 photographers chasing after her. Now we have probably three or four photographers working on her at any given time," she said.

And Spears’ gated community is empty these days. The main road once littered with paparazzi is a much different scene now that Britney’s dad, Jamie, has taken charge.

"After he took over the conservatorship, it got really, really slow for us," Britney’s trusted paparazzo friend Felipe said.

He was scheduled to follow Britney daily, from 4 PM to 4 AM, but has since undergone a dramatic shift change.

"She's not going out at night as much as she used to … you know I started working the daytime between 11 AM to 11 PM," he said.

OK! magazine features editor Rob Chilton has noticed the change in his magazine’s focus, as well.

"There are fewer shots now of Britney doing crazy things," Chilton told Access. "Now we're seeing a more stable, more calm Britney so there are less shocking stories about Britney these days."

As for Us Weekly, Britney was only on the cover once in the last six weeks, a far cry from last September through mid-February. Then, around the time of her custody battle and hospitalizations, Britney was Us Weekly's hot topic in 23 out of 24 issues.

And with no Britney scandal to report, this week’s tabs feature Britney-free covers.

But there is proof that Spears still sells. TV Guide put "Tudors" star Jonathan Rhys-Meyers on the cover of the new issue mailed to subscribers, but chose to put Britney on the cover of the issue available on newsstands in an attempt to boost sales.

"People want to read about Britney," Chilton said. "There is still that fascination with her whether it's good or bad."

Source: Access Hollywood