How much do artists get paid for the Super Bowl halftime show?
The Super Bowl might be the biggest sporting event in the US, but many around the world simply tune in for the halftime show.
This year’s game, the Super Bowl 59, will see the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. This culmination of the 2024 NFL season takes place on Sunday, February 9.
Kendrick Lamar is set to headline the halftime show, with various special guests including SZA. Lamar previously joint-headlined the event in 2022, alongside other hip-hop legends Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Eminem.
How much is Kendrick Lamar being paid for the Super Bowl 2025 halftime show?
Technically, nothing. The NFL doesn’t pay artists to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, but it does cover any production costs involved in the performance.
“We do not pay the artists,” an NFL spokesperson told Forbes in 2016. “We cover expenses and production costs.”
The halftime performance has a sponsor every year too, with this year’s being Apple Music. These sponsors also contribute to the production costs, but it’s unclear if they pay the artist as well.
Why do artists perform at the Super Bowl?
While artists aren’t paid by the NFL, the huge amount of exposure is the real draw. For example, 2024 headliner Usher is estimated to have earned up to $100million from the bump in streams and ticket sales following his performance.
According to Forbes, Usher’s overall Spotify streams increased 550 per cent in the US alone after the Super Bowl. In 2023, Rihanna’s digital song sales went up by 390 per cent.
As such, that’s perhaps why many artists choose to perform career-spanning sets during the halftime slot, to maximise the amount of songs getting a boost. It’s a huge audience too, with last year’s Super Bowl averaging 123.4 million viewers.
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Adam Starkey
NME
