Britney Spears and Longtime Manager Split

By Sharon Cotliar

10/07/2004 at 05:00 PM EDT

Britney Spears and her manager of nine years, Larry Rudolph, have ended their professional relationship.

Rudolph tells PEOPLE that the move was a "declaration of independence," not a sign of strife. "In the past year or so, (Spears) has come into her own as an adult. She has decided she wants to take more control of her career."

Rudolph dismisses rumors that Spears’s new husband, Kevin Federline, or her brother, Bryan, played any part in his departure. "It wasn’t about people stepping on each other's toes and things getting too crowded," he says.

For Spears's part, Leslie Sloane Zelnik, the singer's publicist, says, "The contract expired. The parties have not renewed it. It was an amicable parting of the ways. She wishes him the best."

Spears and Federline, meanwhile, signed their prenup and filed their marriage license yesterday. They had 90 days to file following their Sept. 18 nuptials.