''Britney Spears: In the Zone'' is the sixth

video album A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

and first

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on April 6, 2004, by Jive Records, accompanying her fourth studio album, ''

In the Zone ''In the Zone'' is the fourth studio album by American pop singer Britney Spears. It was released on November 12, 2003, through Jive Records. With the conclusion of her Dream Within a Dream Tour in July 2002 and the end of her relationship with ...

'' (2003). ''Britney Spears: In the Zone'' contains her

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...

(ABC) concert special of the same title, as well as footage from live performances to promote ''In the Zone''. Its DVD also includes the accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

s for "

Me Against the Music "Me Against the Music" is a song by American singers Britney Spears and Madonna for Spears' fourth studio album, ''In the Zone'' (2003). It was written by Spears, Madonna, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Thabiso "Tab" Nikhereanye, Penelope Magnet ...

" and "

Toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subs ...

", while its four-track CD includes previously unreleased tracks. Upon its release, the video received mixed reviews from critics. It debuted atop the US

Top Music Videos The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

and was certified

double platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Recording and production

"Don't Hang Up" and "The Answer", which appeared on the North American edition of the CD of ''Britney Spears: In the Zone'', originally appeared as bonus tracks on international editions of ''

'' (2003). Spears wrote "Don't Hang Up" along with its producers

Brian Kierulf Brian Kierulf is a songwriter and producer from the United States. He usually writes songs with Joshua M. Schwartz. They are a part of KNS Productions. Selected discography Aaron Carter - album '' Oh Aaron'' *"Oh Aaron" (Written by Andy Goldmar ...

and Josh Schwartz, while "The Answer" was written and produced by

Sean Combs Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...

and

Ryan Leslie Anthony Ryan Leslie (born September 25, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur from Washington, D.C. He has produced singles for a number of prominent artists in a variety of genres, ranging from R&B, hip hop ...

. The tracks were replaced by the

Bloodshy & Avant Bloodshy & Avant are a Swedish songwriting and production duo consisting of Christian "Bloodshy" Karlsson and Pontus "Avant" Winnberg. They have worked with many prominent artists, including Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Ms. Dynamite, Madonna, ...

-produced "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)" and

Linda Perry Linda Perry (born April 15, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. She was the lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes, and has since founded two record labels and composed and produced hit songs for ...

-written and produced "Girls and Boys" on the international edition of the video. Both were originally recorded for ''In the Zone'' but failed to make the cut. "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)" initially appeared as a bonus digital download on the

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

exclusive edition of ''In the Zone'', before being included on Spears' first

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

'' Greatest Hits: My Prerogative'' in November 2004.

Release

In November 2003, '' Billboard'' announced that Spears planned to release a

with previously unreleased footage in mid-March 2004. On February 26, MTV reported that the video would concentrate on the live performances to promote ''

'' (2003), such as her performances of "

" and "(I Got That) Boom Boom" on ''

Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (known commonly as ''TRL'') was an American television program broadcast on MTV that premiered on September 14, 1998. TRL featured popular music videos played during its countdown, and was also used as a promotion tool by ...

'' and the half-hour surprise appearance at the

Palms Casino Resort Palms Casino Resort is a hotel and casino located near the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned and operated by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. It includes 703 rooms and a casino. It was originally owned by th ...

's Rain Nightclub. Originally set to be released on March 23, ''Britney Spears: In the Zone'' was later pushed back to April 6, and was released as a DVD+CD set. The DVD of ''Britney Spears: In the Zone'' also included her

(ABC) concert special of the same name, which had aired on November 17, 2003. Filmed at the Gotham Hall in New York City in October, the show featured stage settings evoking ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

''. The video also contained the accompanying

s for "Me Against the Music" and "

", alongside the latter's episode of ''

Making the Video ''Making the Video'' is an MTV show, consisting of half-hour episodes, which chronicles the process of filming various music videos. Usually the director outlines the concept of the video (or treatment) and the show often includes light-hearted ...

''. The North American edition CD included "Don't Hang Up" and "The Answer", whereas international editions included the tracks "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)" and "Girls and Boys".

Critical reception

''Britney Spears: In the Zone'' received mixed reviews from critics. Aaron Beierle of

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

highlighted the concert special, but said that the interviews and behind-the-scenes footage "are geared clearly towards promoting the album and, while they achieve that goal, they break up the momentum of the concert terribly." He summarized his review by saying: "''In the Zone'' does disappoint somewhat with the audio, but the video quality is good. Recommended for fans."

Accolades

, - ! scope="row", 2005 , Japan Gold Disc Award , International Music Videos of the Year , ''Britney Spears: In the Zone'' , , align="center",

Commercial performance

In the United States, ''Britney Spears: In the Zone'' debuted atop the US

chart dated April 24, 2004. On May 11, it was certified

by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 200,000 copies. Across Latin America, the video was certified platinum in Argentina and gold in Brazil and Mexico. In France, it was certified platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP), for shipments of 15,000 copies. In Australia, it was certified gold by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...

(ARIA) for shipments of 7,500 units. In Japan, the video peaked at number seven on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in ...

video chart, spending 29 weeks charting.

Track listing

;Notes * signifies a co-producer * signifies a remix producer

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* * * {{Britney Spears Britney Spears video albums 2004 video albums Jive Records video albums Britney Spears live albums Live video albums Jive Records live albums 2004 live albums