Jennifer Lopez and Shakira Aren't Getting Paid to Perform at the Super Bowl — Here's Why

Jennifer Lopez and Shakira are global superstars whose performances can command millions, but neither one of the singers are getting paid to perform at the Super Bowl.

While the NFL has historically not paid a performance fee for the musical artists that grace its halftime stage, they do cover the bill for performance-related expenses, which includes elaborate stage setups, pyrotechnics and travel, according to CNBC.

However, neither star will walk away from Sunday’s performance empty-handed.

As millions of people tune in every year to watch the halftime show, artists typically see a dramatic, and immediate, increase in music and tour sales as well as career opportunities.

“They are willing to perform for free and even subsidize the production costs through their record label or concert promoters because of this incredible exposure,” Marc Ganis, president of consulting firm Sportscorp, told Forbes. “Even the biggest names need to continually promote themselves. The Super Bowl halftime show is the single biggest promotional vehicle for a music star on the planet.”

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Jennifer Lopez and Shakira | Jennifer Lopez/Instagram
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira | Jennifer Lopez/Instagram

Within an hour after performing at the Super Bowl in 2018, Justin Timberlake’s music experienced a 213 percent increase on Spotify and sales for all of the songs he performed on the show rose by 534 percent that same day, according to Billboard.

Although panned by the critics, his album Man of the Woods also premiered at the top of the Billboard 200 chart the following week.

Lady Gaga, who was not promoting a new record at the time of her 2017 performance, saw her own music sales increase by just over 1,000 percent. Additionally her most recent album, which was released the previous October, shot up the charts, clinching the No. 2 spot.

Justin Timberlake | Christopher Polk/Getty Images
Justin Timberlake | Christopher Polk/Getty Images
Lady Gaga | Ronald Martinez/Getty
Lady Gaga | Ronald Martinez/Getty

After taking the Super Bowl stage last year, Maroon 5 were able to increase how much money they made on tour, raising their average by $200,000 per stop, according to Forbes. The outlet also noted that Travis Scott, another 2019 performer, made almost three times as much in 2019 as he had the previous year, when he released his hit album Astroworld.

In a 2015 interview with Forbes one of Kate Perry’s managers said the number of offers for the star doubled after her headlining gig. “It took her from being a big star to the stratosphere,” he said.

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The NFL had its first big halftime show in 1993, selling a sponsorship to Frito-Lay in order to help cover the costs associated with headliner Michael Jackson, according to The New York Times.

The decision to go for a showier production came a year after Fox’s broadcast of In Living Color during the game, which resulted in a loss of viewers. Prior to Jackson’s performance, budgets for the halftime show were typically under seven figures, the outlet reported.

Shakira and Jennifer Lopez | Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Shakira and Jennifer Lopez | Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

At a press conference this week, both Loepz, 50, and Shakira, 42, spoke about how much the upcoming performance means to them.

This is a palpable example of how anything is possible,” Shakira said. “And the only thing that matters is the size of your dreams. I think that we are — the Latinos are going through a difficult time in the U.S., and I think it’s very important for us to convey a message of unity and also to show what a relevant force the Latin community is in this country, how much we have to offer, our idiosyncrasies, our culture that is so unique.”

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Echoing Shakira’s comments, Lopez added: “The two of us could have never imagined that we’d be playing at the Super Bowl one day … I’m very, very proud to be here and to be able to have this moment and am very grateful to be able to do that.”

Super Bowl LIV, held at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, airs live at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 2 on Fox.