#35. Did You Know Super Bowl Performers Don’t Get Paid?

Imagine being one of the biggest artists in the world, commanding millions of dollars per show, only to perform at the biggest televised event of the year... for free. Sounds crazy, right? Well, welcome to the Super Bowl halftime show, where some of the most iconic performers of all time—including Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, and Rihanna—have taken the stage without receiving a single dollar from the NFL.

Yep, you read that right. Super Bowl halftime performers don’t get paid by the NFL. And yet, they keep coming back for more. Why? Because, in the business of entertainment, sometimes the biggest payday isn’t in the form of a check—it’s in the exposure.

Well, well, well, you thought only freelancers do free stuff for "exposure." Damn, you are wrong!

Super Bowl is A Marketing Juggernaut

First, let me talk numbers.

The Super Bowl isn’t just another game—it’s a full-blown spectacle.

In 2024, an estimated 200 million people worldwide tuned in to watch the halftime show. In the U.S. alone, over 100 million people had their eyes glued to the screen.

In 2025, viewership reached new heights with 133.5 million watching the halftime show, making it the most-viewed performance in Super Bowl history, surpassing even Michael Jackson’s legendary 1993 show.

This year Kendrick Lamar Headlined the Super Bowl 2025

Kendrick Lamar lit up the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, he even brought along some amazing friends too—SZA and DJ Mustard kept the energy high, but the real showstopper was when Serena Williams popped up on stage!

She recreated her famous 2012 Olympic victory dance to Lamar's "Not Like Us," and the crowd went absolutely wild. Social media couldn't stop talking about it for days.

In 2021, “The Weekend” wasn’t satisfied with the NFL’s $13 million production budget, so he threw in $7 million of his own money to create the show exactly as he envisioned it.

Why would he do that? Because he understood the value of that stage.

His bet paid off. One million concert tickets sold within a week of his performance. His music sales spiked, and his streaming numbers skyrocketed.

And he’s not alone. After Lady Gaga’s 2017 Super Bowl halftime performance, her album Joanne jumped from #66 to #2 on the Billboard charts.

Justin Timberlake saw a 534% increase in music sales after his 2018 performance. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira? 1,013% increase in sales after their 2020 show.

The Halftime Show Wasn’t Always This Big a Deal

Back in 1967, the first Super Bowl halftime show featured marching bands and guys in jet packs.

In 1970, a hot air balloon crashed into the stands mid-performance. By the 80s, things got even weirder—Coca-Cola sent out 26 million pairs of 3D glasses for a halftime show starring a magician named “Elvis Presto.”

It wasn’t until 1993, when Michael Jackson moonwalked onto the Super Bowl stage, that the halftime show became a must-watch event. His performance was so electric that the NFL realized they could use top-tier artists to keep people from changing the channel.

From that moment on, the halftime show became bigger, flashier, and more star-studded every year.

But That Does Not Mean Everyone Wins

While the artists benefit from the exposure, not everyone involved in the halftime show gets a fair deal. Until recently, the NFL didn’t pay backup dancers either. Professional dancers were expected to work for free, committing to 72 hours of rehearsals across nine days, all for “exposure.”

After pushback from entertainment unions, the NFL agreed to pay dancers a modest $15 per hour—which, let’s be honest, is still pretty low for performing at one of the biggest events in the world.

The Real Winners Are The Artists Who Plan Ahead

The real winners in this game are the artists who strategically use their performances to launch tours, albums, or brands.

Take Rihanna in 2023. She hadn’t released an album in years, but she timed her Super Bowl performance with new launches for her Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty brands.

She also signed a lucrative deal with Apple TV+ for a behind-the-scenes documentary about her return to the stage. Rihanna turned the halftime show into a massive marketing moment for her businesses—without lifting a finger to release new music.

Or look at the Rolling Stones. After performing at the Super Bowl in 2006, they went on to launch the highest-grossing tour in history at the time, pulling in $558 million.

For artists who play their cards right, the Super Bowl isn’t just a performance—it’s a launchpad.

So, Should the NFL Pay Its Performers?

The argument that the NFL should pay performers is fair. After all, the league makes billions of dollars off the Super Bowl. And considering that cities spend taxpayer money to build state-of-the-art stadiums just for a chance to host the event, the idea that the NFL can’t afford to cut artists a cheque doesn’t hold much weight.

But at the end of the day, artists aren’t getting ripped off—they’re making a calculated business decision. The Super Bowl halftime show is the biggest stage in the world. And for those who know how to leverage it, the payday isn’t in the performance fee—it’s in what comes after.

So, next time you watch the Super Bowl halftime show, remember: they’re not doing it for free. They’re playing the long game.