Britney Spears 'Circus' Songwriter Says Music Is Key to Biopic, Wants In

Music is going to make or break the upcoming Britney Spears biopic ... so says one of her famed songwriters, who wants to ensure the flick does her career justice.

Claude Kelly, a producer and songwriter who collaborated with Britney on her 2008 hit "Circus," tells TMZ ... biopics about musicians are only as good as their soundtracks.

Claude says for someone like Britney, the music will be more important than all the drama from her story ... and he wants to help make sure the soundtrack is legit.

The Britney movie is still in the early stages, but Claude thinks she has a chance to create one of the biggest biopics ever -- right up there with "Ray" and "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Claude's making his pitch for a role overseeing music for the movie ... check out the clip, he's putting on the hard sell.

Regardless of whether he lands a role as a consultant or not, Claude says he will absolutely give his permission to clear "Circus" for use in the film.

And, get this ... Claude tells us he's got a feeling there will be a brand new Britney record dropping with the movie ... and, naturally, he wants to help produce the song.

Claude worked with Britney during her conservatorship back in the day, and he tells us that the music industry needs to do a better job protecting icons.