Here's How Much Artists Get Paid for the Super Bowl Halftime Show
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THE SUPER BOWL half-time show has become one of the most eagerly awaited moments in the pop culture calendar, drawing in million of viewers (including a huge number of non-football fans) each year. Previous artists to headline the concert have included legends like Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Beyoncé, Prince, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna.
The 2024 Super Bowl half-time show will be headlined by Usher, the R&B superstar known for hits like 'U Remind Me,' 'My Boo,' 'Burn,' 'Love in This Club,' and 'Yeah!'. Usher was handpicked by Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation company produces the show, to perform. But while it is a huge honor to be chosen for such an occasion, it doesn't come with a check to match.
How Much Do Super Bowl Halftime Performer Get Paid?
Somewhat surprisingly, musicians who appear in the half-time concert are not actually paid for their performance. The NFL covers the production costs that go into putting on the show, and these can be considerable, even for the relatively short running time, given the various stunts that various artists pull during their gigs. For example, Shakira and J-Lo's half-time show in 2020 cost $13 million, accounting for the audio, technical and staging crew and equipment.
The NFL will also foot the bill for any travel expenses that the musicians incur in order to get to the venue, but no cheques get written for the performance itself. However, the knock-on effect for artists in terms of exposure is very real, with the viewing figures for a half-time translating into often huge spikes in album sales—or more commonly in recent years, streaming numbers.
For example, Lady Gaga saw her album and single sales increase by a staggering 1,000 percent following her half-time concert in 2017, a theatrical extravaganza which saw her glide high above the stage on a trapeze. That particular stunt also launched a panoply of memes, as have many other half-time performers.
That's one of the less tangible but no less important benefits of starring in such a widely watched televised event, where the tiniest moments can go viral: relevance. The musicians who headline the Super Bowl half-time concert might not walk away with a literal paycheck, but it's hard to put a value on the cultural currency such a performance can yield.
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