Rihanna’s Super Bowl fees
Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show was one of the most-watched musical events of the year. For many musical performers, the 15-minute spot is considered one of the greatest honors of their career, but the performance comes at a cost — and evidently, not one to the NFL.
According to a Twitter thread by Joe Pompliano, who writes about sports and business, the NFL receives about $50 million a year from Apple for the halftime show. None of that will go to Rihanna for Sunday’s concert.
Pompliano explains that artists don’t get paid for the act. However, the musicians receive a budget in the ballpark of $10M-$15M to pay crews for the show. Many artists have to pay out of pocket to put on the act they want for the Super Bowl audience.
But the exposure they receive from the halftime show is worth the costs.
It seems a little crazy to me that the NFL can’t pay the artist a small fee from the sponsorship Apple is paying the league, but it’s good to know that artists won’t be totally screwed from the deal. I had always assumed they’d be compensated for the show, much like the athletes playing the game Sunday will.
This shows how much advertising for the Super Bowl works–if your company can afford the $7 million ad for 30 seconds. Rihanna’s Super Bowl show should be pretty profitable for the artist.
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