The Super Bowl halftime show is essentially the biggest concert of the entire year. Sure, it might top out at just 15 minutes or so, but there’s no event with more eyeballs on it than the Super Bowl.
Really, the halftime show is the pinnacle of live entertainment. A concert is set up, performed and disassembled over the span of 30 minutes in the middle of the biggest sporting event in America.
There was a time when the NFL struggled to find halftime acts, but now the biggest stars in the world eagerly accept the invitation to perform. So the payout must be pretty hefty, right?
Well, not necessarily.
Do Super Bowl Halftime Performers Get Paid?
Surprisingly, not much.
Super Bowl halftime performers are paid the union-rate minimum. For Usher, that meant $671 for the actual performance last year and about $1,800 for the rehearsals leading up to the Super Bowl.
The NFL and Apple Music pick up the costs for the set, special effects and extras. There have been times where that cost ends up in the $15 million range. In 2021, The Weeknd spent more than $7 million of his own money (while unconfirmed, it has been reported that the extra money went toward elaborate stages).
So why aren’t the artists paid at a higher rate?
Why Super Bowl Halftime Performers Aren’t Paid An Appearance Fee
From the NFL’s perspective, the payment is the exposure. According to the NFL, 123 million Americans watched Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.
By comparison, the largest paid concert attendance was 225,173. That show was performed by Vasco Rossi in 2017 in Modena, Italy.
The largest concert ever was a free show put on by Rod Stewart in Rio de Janeiro in 1994. It drew 3.5 million people.
Obviously, both of those pale in comparison to the Super Bowl numbers. But that’s not the only reason artists sign on.
Most performers end up with some endorsements and commercial deals, which can bring massive payouts. Plus, it provides a massive spike in internet searches.
Rihanna saw an increase of 390% in search traffic leading up to her performance at Super Bowl LVII and a massive 1,140% increase in music streams, including 62 million streams on Super Bowl weekend, according to the tracking firm Luminate.
How the Super Bowl Halftime Show Boosts Artists’ Careers
As previously mentioned, the unparalleled level of exposure is impossible to ignore. There’s simply no way to put a price on the interest generated by being named the lead act of the Super Bowl halftime show.
That being said, the mixture of a surge in streams and purchases, a massive increase in search traffic and the bump in social media following is a huge value.
Add in the endorsement partnerships, sponsorships and commercial deals, there is a clear path to make a lot of money.
Agreeing to perform is a bit of a calculated risk. On the one hand, an artist is taking a lot of time out of their touring and recording schedules for very little cash. But on the other hand, the music industry is one based on popularity. And there’s no better way to be relevant than to be in the Super Bowl.
Past Performers and Their Post-Super Bowl Success
Katy Perry headlined the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show in 2015, putting on a great performance and giving us Left Shark. However, it was Missy Elliott who stole the show. Elliott was only on stage for about four minutes, but it resulted in a career resurrection. After the game, her music re-entered the charts and she saw a 2,500% increase in album sales.
In 2017, Lady Gaga saw a 1,000% increase in her sales after performing at Super Bowl LI. She also saw a 600% increase in streams on Spotify. It also helped hype her up before she starred in “A Star Is Born” the following year.
There are occasions when an artist gets more of a legacy boost than anything else. Prince’s 2007 rain-soaked performance, highlighted by “Purple Rain,” went on to be considered perhaps the best halftime show ever. Obviously Prince didn’t need any sort of Super Bowl bump to his legendary career, but it did provide one of the biggest highlights of it.
Michael Jackson did something similar in 1993 when he performed at Super Bowl XXVII. The NFL pitched Jackson on the game’s global audience, highlighting that it might be the only chance his foreign fans would get to see him perform live.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Much Do Super Bowl Halftime Performers Pay (or Get Paid) to Perform?.
