Remember when you were fresh out of school and scrounged for any unpaid internship for the sole purpose of getting experience on your resume before you entered the workforce?
Well, it turns out that the Super Bowl half time performances are almost Hollywood’s equivalent.
Indeed, artists performing during the Super Bowl halftime show don’t earn a cent from the National Football League for their performances, despite the fact this mid-game show draws in millions of views.
That means Rihanna (complete with her floating stage and custom Loewe jumpsuit), Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry (and her left shark) didn’t walk home any richer after headlining one of the most coveted spots a musician could perform at.
Well, maybe Rihanna did after she plugged her ground breaking beauty brand Fenty Beauty mid-performance in a stunt that companies would’ve otherwise paid millions of dollars for.
Below is everything you need to know about the Super Bowl halftime performance and why the musical stars don’t get paid.
How Much Do Super Bowl Performers Get Paid?
Despite the millions of viewers that tune into the super bowl with the sole reason to see the halftime shows, it’s a little known fact that these stars do not actually get a performance fee.
In 2016, an NFL spokesperson confirmed that the artists are not paid, but that the NFL covers the respective production cost.
Whether Rihanna’s iconic Loewe breastplate and Alaia coat were considered part of the production hasn’t been confirmed, but the spokesperson did confirm the NFL covers “expenses and production costs”.
According to Esquire, the talent’s travel fees are also covered by the NFL. The league has not openly shared how much they budget for production costs, but Forbes has estimated it can reach as high as US $20 million (approx. AUD $28,000,000)
So when you think about it the stars are receiving an excessive amount of financial backing to ensure their performance on one of the worlds biggest stages is memorable in every sense in the world.
Much like those aforementioned unpaid internships, the stars are really doing the show for the exposure the performance delivered—and it pays dividends.
According to Forbes, Rihanna’s halftime show received an average of 118.7 million viewers, meaning the world’s eye was undoubtedly on the nine-time Grammy Award winner during what was only 13 minutes of stage time.
Despite the fact Rihanna didn’t use the opportunity to announce a new album or tease an upcoming world tour, she did ensure her beauty brand was featured in this small window of time.
Following the performance, Rihanna didn’t only drop a brand-new lipstick, but sold out the Invisimatte Blotting Powder she used during the performance.
The B**ch Better Have My Money singer wasn’t lying when she sang she’d be paid what she owed, because the star certainly didn’t walk home empty handed even though she didn’t earn a cent directly from the NFL.
The NFL haven’t announced who we can expect to perform at next year’s play-offs, but we know that the performance won’t come cheap, neither for the musician’s sake or for the audiences.
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