Just How Much Are Halftime Performers Paid For the Super Bowl?
With NFL starting quarterbacks pulling in annual salaries around $50 million [around £40m], we'd forgive you for thinking that the musical superstars who lend their talents to the most important game of the year also earn millions of dollars. Well, that is very much not the case. Kendrick Lamar is this year’s halftime performer, and he won't take home anything nearing an NFL salary for the big concert.
The surprising truth is that halftime performers aren’t paid to perform at the Super Bowl. Per league policy, the NFL covers all costs related to the production of the halftime show, but the talent doesn't take home a paycheck (although the NFL foots the bill for their travel expenses). According to a Sports Illustrated report, Usher was paid "$671 for the actual performance last year and about $1,800 for the rehearsals leading up to the Super Bowl."
Still, "the halftime show at the Super Bowl remains a highly coveted spot for many artists," entertainment attorney Lori Landew told Forbes in 2019. "Some of those artists do not see their appearance as a political statement, nor do they see the show as a cultural battleground, but rather view their live performance as an opportunity to entertain an enthusiastic crowd and to share their music and their talent with millions of viewers."
The cost of production, even for just a thirteen-minute segment, can also be sky-high. The 2020 performance by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira reportedly cost the NFL approximately $13 million. That figure finances the paychecks of up to 3,000 staffers involved in the production, as well as complicated technical elements of the performance, like a collapsible, 38-part stage, or the massive audio equipment rolled in on 18 carts. Don’t even get us started on the cost of awe-inspiring spectacles, like Katy Perry riding into the stadium on a mechanical golden lion, or Lady Gaga parachuting into her performance from the roof.
So what’s in it for performers? Something familiar to freelance writers everywhere: exposure. Performing on one of the world’s biggest, most televised stages can convert into real financial gain in the form of increased music sales. When Justin Timberlake performed in 2018, his music sales rose 534 per cent that same day; as for Lady Gaga, sales of her digital catalog spiked 1000 percent following her 2017 performance. For Kendrick Lamar, the singer will have the opportunity to promote his latest album, GNX. He is also embarking on a nationwide tour with SZA following five major wins at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
And lest you think the headliners are the only performers working for free—surely journeyman dancers ought to be paid, right?—think again. The NFL has come under fire in the past for failing to pay some halftime show dancers, framing them instead as "volunteers." According to an investigation by the Los Angeles Times, "paid dancers received $712 for show day and $45 per hour for their rehearsal time, as well as a $30 per diem and a $250 COVID stipend if a dancer was asked to report to a clinic for a test on a non-work day. Unpaid dancers sat in stadium bleachers for up to two hours in the cold while waiting to rehearse as their paid counterparts spent that time in green rooms."
After backlash from the dance community, SAG-AFTRA (the union representing professional dancers) met with producers of the show to ensure that all background dancers are paid. "SAG-AFTRA and the producers of the Super Bowl Halftime Show have met and had an open and frank discussion, and have agreed that no professional dancers will be asked to work for free as part of the halftime show,” the union said in a statement given to the Los Angeles Times. “SAG-AFTRA will be advising our professional dancer members that they should not be rehearsing or working on the Super Bowl halftime show without compensation."
Kendrick Lamar is returning to head the Super Bowl halftime show, after performing two songs as a guest during Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's stint in 2023. If he performs his hit song, "Alright," he'll join a handful of artists including Justin Timberlake and Mary J. Blige who have performed the same song multiple times at the Super Bowl.
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