The Super Bowl Halftime Show is one of the most anticipated events in the artistic and sports world. Every year, viewers eagerly await this live concert, which has become a symbol of the music world, delivered at the highest level of entertainment with the biggest artists of the moment. Many singers want to participate, but only a few succeed. Why? How much do they get paid?
Although currently, many artists want to be in the Super Bowl Halftime Show, it was not always like that. Before, the NFL struggled to find stars willing to perform.
Currently, the stars eagerly await the invitation, and this is how the big promotion for the event begins.
But why do so many artists want to participate in the Super Bowl Halftime Show? Is the payment they receive really that high? Surprisingly, they don't get paid much. The SI portal explained that they are paid the minimum union rate, citing the example of Usher, who last year received $671 for the actual performance and an average of $1,800 for rehearsals.
The NFL covers production costs such as set, special effects, and extra payments. However, these costs are so high that at one point, they considered charging them to the artists, as there have been occasions when the range reaches approximately $15 million. "In 2021, The Weeknd spent over $7 million of his own money (although not confirmed, it has been reported that the extra money was allocated to elaborate stages)," stated SI.
The true payment of artists for the Super Bowl Halftime Show
Although they do not receive a significant direct payment from the NFL, artists' eagerness to participate in the Super Bowl Halftime Show is centered around the large audience at the time of the live concert broadcast.
For example, in 2024 Usher became the most viewed halftime performer in the history of this event, with 129.3 million viewers. He surpassed Rihanna, who is the second most viewed with 121.02 million in 2023. The third most viewed is Katy Perry with 121 million viewers in 2015; and the fourth is Lady Gaga with 117.5 million in 2017, according to data from Statista.
If it stands out that there are records showing that after the Super Bowl Halftime Show, most artists achieve commercial deals, sponsorships, and have a significant increase in the streams of their songs on digital platforms, their internet search traffic also increases. All of this translates into a lot of money for them.
Luminate reports that Rihanna saw a 390% increase in search traffic and experienced a massive 1,140% increase in music streams, including 62 million streams over the Super Bowl weekend.
After her performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2017, Lady Gaga saw a 600% increase in streams on Spotify, and the following year she starred in 'A Star is Born'.
Others have seen their careers take off, as was the case with Missy Elliott in 2015. The main artist was Katy Perry, but according to many, Elliott was the one who shined, and just four minutes of participation were enough for her to re-enter the charts in the following days. That year, her album sales increased by 2,500%.